by or on

[hlbert03]

If the sentence below correct?

- Using both hands, keep one finger ready by the power button on the tower and keep another finger ready by the "F1" key on your keyboard.

Why is "by" used instead of "on"?

[Philly]

Hi
.
The word 'by' has the sense of 'near' or 'next to', so the writer is saying that your fingers need to be kept very close to the power and F1 buttons to be able to press them quickly. The writer may have intentionally avoided saying 'on' since some people might interpret this to mean 'pressing on'.

[BobK]

If the sentence below correct?

- Using both hands, keep one finger ready by the power button on the tower and keep another finger ready by the "F1" key on your keyboard.

Why is "by" used instead of "on"?

Maybe you're a touch-typist (someone who doesn't need to look at the keys while typing). As Philly says, perhaps the writer avoided 'on' to prevent accidents. I'd've used 'over'.

b

[hlbert03]

Thank you.