Moving the Ctrl Key
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Moving the Ctrl Key
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Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#2I use the heel of my hand to hit ctrl. Unfortunately that only really works with discrete, non low profile keyboards. I’ve thought on and off about adopting an ergodox style keyboard that puts the modifier keys in easy reach.
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#3Would love to know the name of the Lenovo genius who put the light indicator on the CapsLk key I use for ctrl that I can't see because my left hand blocks it when I want to see the capslock status. Microsoft Zune grade design thinking.
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#4Ctrl2cap is always one of the first things I install on a new machine!
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#5I use the heel of my hand to hit ctrl. Unfortunately that only really works with discrete, non low profile keyboards. I’ve thought on and off about adopting an ergodox style keyboard that puts the modifier keys in easy reach.
I bend my pinky onto the palm of my hand and hit the Ctrl (or Shift) key with its 3rd knuckle. Sometimes I stop and think about how deranged that is, but it seems to work!
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#6I moved Ctrl to my left thumb, on the inside of the keyboard, about ten years ago.
It's still possible to hurt your thumb from overuse, but it's a far stronger finger than the pinky, and no stretching is involved.
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#7I have foot pedal ctrl and alt keys. One set at home, one at the office.
Some guitar pedals wired as momentary switches wired to a teensy.
It's been using it for so long I forget they are there. I haven't even checked on the teensy since I can remember.
I instinctive tape my feet even if I'm working away from my desk. If I'm zoned in I can even stamp my foot as though the pedal has become unresponsive...
I don't use Emacs as much as I used to but that's why I built them.
The very first version I had predate the current setup and was a button on the underside of my desk that plugged into my keyboard with an audio jack and jury rigged internally to ctrl (didn't have alt for some reason). Thats got to be like 25 years ago now.
It was so inconvenient as pushing my knee up was hard work (I was convinced this would stop me getting a DVT from long desk hours... But only in my right leg I guess?) esp as I got a new desk that had more clearance, if I moved the keyboard it might unplug or pull the button off the desk. And finally once I got a new keyboard the wire would trigger the button and I couldn't think why so I ditched it.
What a blast from the past!
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#84 years of college on Sun workstation keyboards and then another 4 years in the late 90's at work and my hand and brain are hardwired to expect control being where caps lock is on traditional PC keyboards.
In vi/vim I never hit the escape key, because the old terminals I used in high school didn't have an escape key or arrow keys. ctrl and left curly bracket is escape and h, j, k, l are to move the cursor.
The muscle memory is too strong to change after 30+ years so change the keyboard mappings instead!
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#9Tip for vi users on Mac: get Karabiner-Elements and use the “complex modifier” that makes the Caps Lock key into ESC when you just press it, but Control when you use it with another key.
Re: Moving the Ctrl Key
#10Tip for vi users on Mac: get Karabiner-Elements and use the “complex modifier” that makes the Caps Lock key into ESC when you just press it, but Control when you use it with another key.
This is the best piece of advice there is.
I use Emacs with vim bindings. I also have a Moonlander and I absolutely love it. I've got my QMK set up so that the key just below my left thumb (I press space with my right hand, so left is best for this—you might switch it depending on how you hit the space bar) is ESC on tap and Control on hold. This is the single-biggest improvement to ergonomics from a software side. Spend the time to figure out how to get this done, and then get used to it. Your hands will thank you until you breath your last breath.