Re: Request for comment on sawfish tutorial

[Eric Mangold <teratorn world-net net>]

On Saturday 27 December 2003 04:10 am, you wrote:
> Saluton Eric,
>
> Eric Mangold <teratorn world-net net> skribis:
> > I've written a tutorial involving sawfish and I want people to tell
> > me what sucks about it :)
> >
> > Also, I'm curious if this is something that should be linked from
> > the sawfish documentation or from the project homepage.
> >
> > See Issue #1 at http://world-net.net/home/mangeng/faster_hacker/
> > series.html
>
> Quite an amazing tutorial :-)  I don't agree with points like moving
> the Esc-key (even if you actually swap the physical keys) because
> that causes disturbance when you work on a different computer.

Yes it certainly does. I feel helpless when I work on Windows 
computers :) But I can still use Windows, for example, almost as well 
as I ever could. This is not much of an issue for me (I take my laptop 
everywhere, so that helps I guess). However, I think you're right, and 
I should put a little note in the tutorial about people who use 
"uncustomizable" computers a lot.

>
> Having lots of modifiers (I have 3 -- plus the European AltGr) can
> actually slow me down because it gets confusing.  For example I have
> H-F4 in sawfish for closing windows and Opera has C-F4 for closing an
> MDI-bound window.  Havoc when I don't concentrate!

Well, all I can suggest is to try and change things around so you have 
better consistency!

Personally, I don't use modifiers w/ Opera, and I have Esc bound (to 
"focus page") so it takes me out of any editing widgets if need be. 
("x" closes my mdi-windows)

>
> I also disagree about using random but easy-to-reach keys for
> something.  Between Emacs, sawfish and other apps I have so many
> key-bindings to remember that it gets real hard when they don't
> contain a meaningful letter.  Congrats on your excellent memory!

Yeah, using a meaningful letter could use more emphasis.

>
> I wouldn't rule out far away keys either.  I automatically use C-a or
> Home and C-e or End as often one as the other. In sawfish H-Left and
> friends is ideal for moving viewports whereas H-PageUp/Down is better
> for the bigger units, i.e. workspaces.

I just really hate taking my hands off the home key row. So I try to 
minimize using keys that require such motion.

> As a last note, I'm amazed that a keyboard artist like you hasn't yet
> switched to the hard to grasp and badly documented, but far more
> powerful Xkbd.  That allows freeing an obvious C-M-backspace for
> backward-kill-sexp, and assigning the XFree self destruct key to
> something else.

I've heard of this tool, but never investigated it. Sounds like I should 
thought. Thanks!

>
> coralament / best Grötens / liebe Grüße / best regards / elkorajn
> salutojn Daniel Pfeiffer

Thank you very much for taking the time to read and respond!

P.S. I've added another section (5.4) to the tutorial.  Feel free to 
check it out and comment :)