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Comment by J0-nas | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't care about the touch bar if the esc+(sleep key) were still regular hardware keys. Those are the only ones that I actually use.

But an even bigger problem for me is the price increase. The base TB version costs 200€ more (or 400€ if you'd buy the nTB 128gb version). With ne nTB version not getting the update, the updated MBP is too expensive compared to non Apple machienes.

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As an aside, I switched Caps Lock to ESC a few years ago and after the 6 weeks(?) or however long it took to fully adjust, it's fantastic. I wish I could bring Caps Lock -> ESC joy to everyone.

The only issue with that for me is that Caps Lock as Control is also a useful mapping.

I do caps lock to control, and control to escape. I also set right_shift when pressed alone and not a modifier to forward_delete.

Complex key behaviors can be defined with Karabiner-Elements.[1]

There are tons of settings posted on Github, and I just modified someone else's to get:

    {"description":"Change right_shift alone to delete_forward",
    "manipulators":[{
    "from":{"key_code":"right_shift","modifiers":{"optional":["any"]}},
    "to":[{"key_code":"right_shift"}],
    "to_if_alone":[{"key_code":"delete_forward"}],
    "type":"basic"}]}

[1] https://github.com/tekezo/Karabiner-Elements

On my Mac I use Karabiner to map Caps + [key] to Ctrl, and a lone press to Esc. It's amazing.

Oh that's neat, thanks for the tip.

Wow, that's a great idea. I didn't realize it had support for that.

That sounds like a perfect setup! Mind sharing the modification rule?

I map it to Hyper, but you can tweak this to just be control:

    {
        "description": "Change caps_lock to hyper/escape.",
        "from": {
            "key_code": "caps_lock",
            "modifiers": {
                "optional": [
                    "any"
                ]
            }
        },
        "to": [
            {
                "key_code": "left_shift",
                "modifiers": [
                    "left_command",
                    "left_control",
                    "left_option"
                ]
            }
        ],
        "to_if_alone": [
            {
                "key_code": "escape"
            }
        ],
        "type": "basic"
    }

I've done the same but Caps + key to Hyper (cmd+ctrl+option+shift), just to pair with custom shortcuts.

But I really love using it for escape. I'm on a 2014 model but not going to the corner for escape is great. Plus I'm about to get one of these new ones, and I feel prepared since I have zero usage of the top row (other than the special functions).

Yep. Every single thread about TouchBar complaints has this or a very similar comment and people. Spread the knowledge!

I feel like I'm the only one who actually uses caps lock for its intended purpose, and often...

Are you writing a lot of FORTRAN 77 or something?

as a french, on linux (and mac too), caps lock is the correct way to get accentued capitals.

I believe the price increase is purely based on the profit-maximizing strategy. If people will pay that much then Apple has no reason to ask for less. Unfortunately, I can not imagine myself switching to a Windows-based laptop. This is just another example of why monopoly is bad.

I agree that this is profit maximization, but the only monopoly Apple has is on sucking less than others at particular things that particular niches care about (privacy, UX, ecosystem integration come to mind).

A non-Apple device will do all the same stuff. It just might not do it the exact way you like out of the box.

I pay the Apple tax (albeit exceedingly infrequently) because I can afford it & it reduces friction in my life, not because I have no other options.

Of course you are right, Apple is dominating the market, not behaving monopolistically in the negative sense of the word.

If you have the choice to purchase a comparable competing product, then it’s not a monopoly.

I still request a MacBook for work, but I can no longer buy it for my private use. It's just too expensive compared to their competitors.

If it's any help, I found this tool useful: https://www.haptictouchbar.com/ (I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't build this into the Touch Bar at some point.)

This is $5 and there's a free alternative: https://github.com/niw/HapticKey

For those who are wondering, it's creating a haptic bump via the trackpad. You'll feel it right there if you put one finger on the trackpad and then touch the touch bar.

It's a good enough effect, though, I will probably keep it. Thanks for the suggestion.

The endpoint security stuff on my work machine rejected this software. I would be wary if I were you.

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