Apple invented cut and paste; the keys used were copied (kind of) by Microsot when it developed Windows. You can tell, too:
All the keys are right there, in a row, near your left hand.
X is for Cut, because it looks like a pair of scissors
C is for Copy, a natural
V is for Paste, because it looks like an insertion arrow, and again, because it's right there beside the other often-used keys.
Z is for Undo, because it's near the cut/copy keys and isn't likely to be the first letter of any other command.
Microsoft changed the helper key because the "Command" key didn't exist on the first IBM x86 keyboards; they added the "Windows" key later.
The other keys are the same because Word was a Mac-only application for 5 years and MS naturally decided to make the first Windows version identical; it was pretty much a straight port of the Mac version. It's also a natural they would carry it over to the OS once they decided to use it for Word for Windows.
Make use of the "control" key; whenver you're looking for a command.
Press Control and click your mouse somewhere, a menu of handy, appropirate commands appears.
In fact, as a former Windows user, most of the appropriate commands you're used to right-clicking for will be there. If you ever buy or plug in a 2-button mouse into your Mac, the very same commands will appear if you right-click.
Try it right now; press control, move the mouse all over and then mouse-click to see what comes up. The ehMac window, the desktop, a file, whatever.
Try this one if you use Safari:
Drag your mouse over this text right now to higlight it.
Control click with your mouse, select the command that isn't copy, and see what happens.
[ November 02, 2003, 03:24 AM: Message edited by: gordguide ]