Re: [Usability] Subject: Re: Using Control-Esc and Windows keys to access

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Tue, 2006-08-22 at 12:39 -0400, Thomas Folz-Donahue wrote:
> 
>         From: Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org> : 
> 
>         > Gnome has an emacs mode of text boxes and things like that
>         doesn't it
> 
> ... 
> 
> 
>         Enabling the emacs mode is just a bad idea.  It conflicts 
>         too much with common application shortcuts.
> 
> ... 
> 
> 
>         I'll also point out that, since Apple uses Command for all 
>         application shortcuts, Ctrl is pretty much free.  So what
>         did they do with it?  They added emacs keybindings into
>         all standard text areas, in the standard defaults.  Does
>         everybody know them?  Nope, not a chance.  Are there some 
>         people who have learned them and love them?  Absolutely.
>         
>         Shaun
> 
> Are you proposing to move all application-level shortcuts to Super
> instead of Control?
> 
> That is an excellent idea.  Control was invented for sending
> non-printing characters and jumping around in emacs and readline. 

I think it's too late to catch that boat.  The Mac got it
right by having the Command key, leaving Control free to
do what it should be doing.

But we can't effectively move application shortcuts to
Super for two reasons:

1) Inertia.  It's just too late in the game.
2) Lots of keyboards won't have anything mapped to Super.

The application shortcut keys are critical to have, and
Control is the single most guaranteed modifier to exist.

So instead, I propose we do with Super that which should
have been done with Control, had we had Command like Apple
did.  We just redefine history in the interests of making
an interface that works for our users today.

--
Shaun