Comment by mmphosis | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mmphosis | Hacker News Reader

"Resemble" is a start like Elementary on Linux and other distros that mimic the "look" but never the feel. TH^Hhere is a lot of legacy PC keyboard stuff that is annoying.

Here is what is missing:

Global menu bar: A concept in user interface design where a system-wide widget on the screen displays the menu items (also known as “actions” in Qt) for all applications I've tried “actions” in Qt and is not at all the same feel.

A positional "sane" mapping of keys. I swap left ctrl and left alt in Linux. Alt on a PC keyboard is positioned where the Command Key would be. I install AutoKey to map all of the Alt keys to Ctrl keys in the Terminal: this is so my left Alt+c (Ctrl+c) will Copy (Command C) by sending ctrl+shift+c, and my left Ctrl+c (Alt+c) will send ctrl+c (break) to the Terminal.

As far as I can tell, textbox navigation keys, like Home and End "PC" behaviour, are hard-coded in X11. Command ( + Shift) + arrow keys navigation in a textbox does not work as I expect, and cannot be configurated, I would need to modify the X11 source code and build from scratch.

I'd just say "to each their own" normally, but you describe this as "legacy PC" stuff, so I feel compelled to respond. I vastly prefer non-Mac keyboard shortcuts, to the point where I will only use a Mac (even temporarily) if I can run Karabiner and pull in my configuration. I simply don't understand how anyone reliably and comfortably finds the command key blindly with their fingers. The whole point (as I see it) of putting the Ctrl key where it is is that you can instantly find it blindly because it's in the corner.

I'd also mention that there's no way (AFAIK) to have a two-key shortcut delete the previous word on macOS out of the box, whereas on basically every Windows and Linux desktop it's just Ctrl-Backspace.

Likewise with the global menu bar, I detest this way of handling menu widgets. I wouldn't use any DE (on Linux) that forced me into it. I don't want to have to move the cursor farther than necessary, and I don't like being locked into "one app at a time" as my global scope.

So I personally am very glad that there are projects that care about aesthetics on the Linux / Unix desktop without just copying the particular desktop metaphors and approach to user interfaces that Apple seems to cherish. I don't think there's a point in trying to "convert" Apple users by copying their desktops. If there are Mac owners who want to switch to a free operating system, while keeping the exact same desktop, they should start their own project to copy macOS.

Just use the built-in readline bindings: option-delete should delete the last word you typed.

Personally, the PC keybindings are completely alien to me and make no sense and bring my productivity to a stand-still. Without my readline bindings text editing is a straight-up chore.

While we're on bindings, it's ridiculous to me that no OS has a key for system level bindings that is separate from the key for application level bindings. For the sake of example, I'll call them the Sys and App keys.

<Sys-{x,c,v}> to manipulate the clipboard.

<Sys-{up,left,right}> to maximize and split window on left or right.

<App-s> to save; <App-t> for new tab (in browsers), <App-f> to search.

I really dislike when apps interfere with what I consider to be system level shortcuts, like copy/paste. But I also recognize that for some places (e.g. text with formatting) it's nice to allow it. So here's the nice thing: by default <App-{x,c,v}> can be the same as Sys, but this is a shortcut apps can override. Tada! Best of both worlds.

It seems like between Ctrl, Alt, and Cmd/Win, we ought to be able to separate these cleanly, even with some legacy compatibility restrictions. It frustrates me that Apple went partway there with the command key, but then decided to blur the lines, and there's no longer a clear distinction (actually, as a non Apple user: what do you even use the control key for?).

<Ctrl-left/right> to move between virtual desktops. And in terminal environments where I want the actual control key.

Windows is kinda sorta trying to do this with the Win key. It's not as consistent as what you describe - and it can't really be without breaking a lot of backwards compatibility for the users - but there's a slew of stuff like Win+M to minimize all windows, or Win+E to open Explorer.

(For the curious, look under "Windows logo keyboard shortcuts" here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcu...)

idc

Why edit your comment to something completely content-less?

> … readline bindings: option-delete should delete the last word you typed. …

Alt-Backspace with tcsh in FreeBSD-CURRENT has the desired effect for me.

Alt-Delete produces this:

;3~

Am I missing something?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Readline

>I simply don't understand how anyone reliably and comfortably finds the command key blindly with their fingers.

You do it with your Thumb, and once you do you can’t go back and then you do not understand how this dumb design of putting Ctrl in most uncomfortable position in the world was made.

When you type blindly, your fingers are on asdf-jkl; row and your thumb easily finds Cmd key near the spacebar. How on earth anyone can press Control in the corner without moving your hand from comfortable row for blind typing?

> How on earth anyone can press Control in the corner without moving your hand from comfortable row for blind typing?

Pressing it with your palm works surprisingly well. It's even doable on shallow laptop keyboards after a while.

I dunno about others, but I've always used my pinkie to press Ctrl. And it doesn't require moving the fingers away from the home row.

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