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Comment by anArbitraryOne | Hacker News Reader

Now if we could switch MacOS to use Win/Linux keyboard commands, MacOS wouldn't be so insufferable

Incredibly L take. macOS keyboard commands are great for working in the terminal since system shortcuts use a different key and don't interfere with control codes

Exactly. You don’t have the terminal itself fight with whatever is running on the other side of the term.

Many of the keyboard commands are configurable in settings, complete with switching cmd and ctrl keys around. Or you can get used in a week or two when switching, this is what I did years ago and now for me Win/Linux is confusing and find the location of the command key more ergonomic on a Mac.

Here some history on how the command key came to be https://www.folklore.org/Swedish_Campground.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_key

Sorry having to use ctrl+shift for in a terminal is absolutely awful. macOS keyboard shortcuts are king.

agree. I guess it's a force of habit, but I am so used to the cmd+<whatever> (specially copy & paste) shortcuts, that I configured them into my linux desktop to behave the same way

Being limited to just control and alt definitely cuts down on the options. Conversely, having MacOS command key act as “super” in Emacs opens up some possibilities.

Super key for most keybinds is much nicer than windows in my opinion, where it is entirely wasted on opening the start menu. On Linux it gains a few functions based on the desktop environment but not much.

The use of the Windows key extends far beyond the start menu. Builtin functions include window management, invoking programs on the taskbar, locking the computer, invoking Explorer and Settings, invoking and controlling accessibility functions like Magnifier. The Microsoft Power Toys add a lot of functions using the Windows key by default as well, like screen snipping, screen OCR, color picking, enhanced clipboard, and many more.

That’s still like 10 uses vs unlimited uses on macOS

It may be ten uses, but it's ten uses I use constantly throughout the day.

Even just the window management category is more than ten uses. And it is unlimited uses, as you can assign additional shortcuts however you like.

You must not use MacOS. Command gets used all over the place, even during editing. And in Emacs it gets used as Super, which opens up some options.

Having a key reserved for OS level actions means you can create your own shortcuts and macros based on it without fear of it conflicting with each app shortcuts.

Since operating systems also don't change often nowadays there is also seldomly any conflicts when a new system shortcut is added.

I also love good old Meta + left click/right click drag for moving and resizing windows in linux.

My problem is that I don’t use the majority of these functions at all. Command I can use for almost everything no matter how frequent or infrequent. It also replaces most “ctrl+shift” binds which is a great plus for me.

You totally can, I used Karabiner-Elements to switch command (behaves like ctrl), option (behaves like alt) and control (behaves ~ like super and like control in terminal) to their usual positions. (You could do this even with bare system settings but iirc they could not switch around differently the left and right keys.)

Then I set up a few shortcuts that were different on macOS I actually used, plus a port of a Linux keyboard layout (I think the US layout mostly matches but I use a national one which differs in the AltGr layer). Surprisingly configurable for an Apple product.

I mean, you can simply use Linux and save yourself all those hacks…

Absolutely. I went through great lengths to install Asahi on my work M1, only to have most things not work (RTFM). So when one is forced to use MacOS, may it round corners in hell, for work…

Maybe try this: https://ke-complex-modifications.pqrs.org/#pc_shortcuts

Yeah I've used Karabiner to get windows-style shortcuts (home/end, etc.) and it works very well.

Aside: the new, large radius Liquid Ass corners that make some parts of the window basically unusable are really annoying me.

As someone that switches between MacOS (dayjob) and Linux (my own PCs) workstations daily - I wish I could do the opposite for Linux. MacOS keyboard shortcuts are just way more intuitive to me, and they are way more consistent across applications.

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