Divvy for a window manager, quicksearchbar for shortcutting, and the vimium chrome extension or conkeror browser are super handy. I prefer quicksearchbar to quicksilver. I wrote about how to set up divvy shortcuts here: http://infovegan.com/2010/08/18/manage-pixels-not-monitors As a paying user of both divvy and sizeup, I have to say I'm bummed about my initial expenditure on Sizeup. Divvy is far more customizable.
Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
91–100 of 109 posts
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#92I'm a ruby/php developer who works on a Macbook Pro 9 hours a day and I've learned to work w/o a mouse. Took a while to get used to, but now I keep my mouse in my desk drawer and only pull it out if someone borrows my computer. First it starts with the setup. At work I have an external monitor and keyboard. I keep my MBP to the right so I can use the touch pad here and there when I can't use the keyboard for certain…
I'm not trying to besnarky, but why even use a MAC. It seems like Linux is a better fit and less expensive. MAC is really about the UI, and if you don't take advantage of that you are just left with an almost Unix environment.
The computer is capitalized "Mac": http://www.apple.com/mac/
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#931) Posture. You want your eyes to be on the same plane as your screen so your back and neck are straight. You want your elbows to be be bent at around a 90-degree angle--that helps keep your wrists straight. And you want your shoulders to be relaxed, not hunched.
2) Breaks. Both long and short. I used to use software for this, specifically AntiRSI for Mac. I think I did an 8 minute break every 52 minutes and a 30 second break 5 minutes or so. Now that I've built up better habits I don't use this software anymore.
3) A good chair. My favorite is the Swopper. It's quite expensive, though--around $600 I think. Right now I have standing desk and no chair. I like this set up even better than sitting on an ergonomic chair.
4) A good keyboard. I like "clicky" keyboards in the vein of the old IBM Model M. I use a DAS Keyboard. Costs around $100. It's not ergonomic per se, but the mechanical keyswitches provide great feedback so you can reduce your keystroke pressure to just the right level.
5) Physical therapy aids. I use Theraputty during my microbreaks. It's like silly putty, only it comes in various levels of resistance. I like green, which is medium-firm. Costs like $5 on Amazon. Some people also use the colored rubber bands, but that's more for elbow and shoulder work and my RSI is all in the wrist/hand.
6) Other activities. Rock climbing has very nearly cured my RSI. When I climb regularly my hands, wrists, and forearms are strong enough that keyboarding can't touch them.
I suspect fighting RSI is like fighting obesity (though I only have the former so I can't be sure): it's all about building good habits. There's no magic bullet and you can't simply cure it and be done. It's an always on-going process. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is Cmd-` (~ would require a Shift) And after Cmd-Tab, Cmd-~ takes you backwards in the list of apps. So if you Cmd-Tab too many times, Cmd-~ takes you back instead of having to cycle through. Likewise, in Safari Cmd-} (aka Cmd-Shift-]) and Cmd-{ take you forward and backward through the tabs. This also works in Terminal. Cmd-L puts the focus on the location bar in Safari if you want to type in a URL (or tab over…
Only had a MBP for a few days (first Mac), but isn't Safari tab-cycling also via Ctrl-Tab, and Ctrl-Shift-Tab to go in reverse? At least on the laptop keyboard, involving the square brackets would necessitate a fairly long stretch, or using both hands? Being new to the Mac, I'd be happy to hear more shortcuts!
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#95I use and love SizeUp. http://irradiatedsoftware.com/sizeup/
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#96Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#97How do you position windows on Mac without a mouse?
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#98There's a lot of excellent advice here. Beyond keyboard shortcuts, there's a universe of options to help combat RSI. Here are some of the things I do: 1) Posture. You want your eyes to be on the same plane as your screen so your back and neck are straight. You want your elbows to be be bent at around a 90-degree angle--that helps keep your wrists straight. And you want your shoulders to be relaxed, not hunched. 2) Br…
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
Clipboard history is a hidden gem on Quicksilver. Just enable on Triggers, I set Shift-Ctrl-Cmd-V, and then I can use 1-9 to paste any of the 9 most recent clipboard items. I can use the mouse to select any of the most recent 250 clipboard items.
Check out jumpcut too. It has a mode to pop up a bezel where you can keyboard your way through the various copy/paste buffers you've used. I use quicksilver, but I also run jumpcut just for its paste buffers.
Re: Ask HN: tips for working with Mac OS X without using the mouse? (RSI)
#100+1 for FF + Vimperator, Screen + Vim.
I also use vifm for a filemanager, alpine/mutt for emails, Gmail with keyboard shortcuts enabled.