Kinto: Mac-style shortcut keys for Linux and Windows

I should have been more clear, indeed, I find sending signals to the system using the `ctrl` good and proper. I have no problem with the control key, sequences, or characters. My issue is ignoring the sheer, maddening, brilliance of the command key...

> Then Linux desktop environments come along and say "well people really like Windows...we don't, but most people who might try our DE probably do, so let's borrow the bad ideas from Windows instead of the good ideas from Unix or MacOS. Let's use Ctrl+C for copy! But also the command line is kind of important on Linux, so let's screw everything up and use Ctrl+Shift+C for copy in the terminal only because who cares about usability and UX consistency? Not us!"

Yes :jacknicholsonnoddingandsmiling:

Linux and non-mac *nix systems emphasize how powerful the command line is but totally fucking ignore even the most fundamental of modern use case(s): copying and fucking pasting. It's just fucking silly. Yew (being a fancy terminal box thing) ain't that powerful if yew cain't (yeah, that's can't + ain't) copy and paste some shit. It's like someone bragging about how fast they can type with their feet, "...cool brometheus... how about you get a fucking job and pay rent for once?"

shakes fist menacingly at the ether

I've tried replicating this experience in Linux in many different ways over the years, but the best approach was to add `altwin(ctrl_alt_win)` to xkeyboard preferences together with custom `ctrl_space_toggle` for layout toggle. It achieves almost the same effect as Kinto without an additional daemon: physical Alt maps to Ctrl (Cmd in terms of Mac layout), Ctrl works as Super and Super/Win works as Alt — the closest, I think, to Apple keyboard layout. It event works fine in Wayland (sway).

Considering the terminal, remap your favorite terminal emulator to send control codes via Super+A..Z (physical Ctrl+A..Z), and unmap/remap to the required action Ctrl+A..Z (physical "Cmd"+A..Z). It works fine in Konsole and great in Alacritty. (unfortunately, I also have to add a second set of mappings for my native non-latin keyboard layout, because at toolkit-level keys are translated to latin layout, but remapping works only for a single layout).

Of course, it's only a half of the equation. Another part is Option/Compose. On Mac I used MathUnicode.keylayout. It was great, and it was a pleasure to tweak it for my needs. Xkeyboard with .XCompose (e.g. [1]) has two disadvantages: you can't use a key as both Multi key and e.g. Alt modifier simultaneously, and you don't see the composition preview. On Lenovo at least you can use `compose(prsc)` to make your left Win key an «Option-modifier» and its right PrtSc counterpart an «Option-compose». [1]: https://github.com/kragen/xcompose

Maybe one day I will buy another Mac... but shall we prefer comfort to freedom?

Same with the Windows home/end for sending the cursor to the beginning/end of line. That entire block of keys is only useful for navigating documents, they’re just unergonomic to use when you’re also typing.

At work (MacBook Pro), things get a little hinkier:

- I map capslock to command

- in iTerm2 only, I swap command and control.

This means I can use the honking big key to the left for my cutting/pasting/window-switching needs when not in the terminal, and still use my muscle memory for Vim and the command line when I am in the terminal.

The (not insignificant) downside is having to remember to use the physical control key (rather than capslock or physical command) for copying/pasting/window-switching when in the terminal: but I can live with that.

I also had to disable iTerm2's default command-W shortcut for closing tabs, as I kept hitting it by accident when trying to ^W on the command-line.

Separate but still (just) related point: I've had to train myself to use ^[ for Escape in the terminal (especially in Vim), as the escape key on the MacBook Pro's touchbar is next to useless. I guess could have just mapped capslock to Escape, but having that big fat control/command key is just too useful.