Even if you’ve used the Mac for decades, I suspect you have never fully understood the Fn key. Not helping is the fact that Apple sometimes calls it the Function key, but all Mac keyboards already ...
Most laptops have at least one Control (CTRL) key, and standard PCs usually have two. These keys optimize the other keys on your keyboard by giving them additional functions, such as copying and ...
You could reassign the keys needed for Exposé and Spaces, no? I have a early 2008 MacBook so all F-keys except F5 and F6 are occupied by various system control buttons (play/pause, dashboard etc).