4 ms·

Default keybinding for tmux is absolutely awful. Any attempt to press Ctrl-B with either hand immediately leads to strain.

mvanbaak 9y ago
Try to remap the useless capslock key to act as a control and you will see how Ctrl+b is a very nice key combo!
- rocqua 9y ago
  I am hesitant to remap capslock because it will fuck me on any computer that isn't mine. Besides. If I'd remap anything to capslock it'd be escape, but thats down to Vim.
  - grzm 9y ago
    > I am hesitant to remap capslock because it will fuck me on any computer that isn't mine. I understand the concern. This does trip me up from time to time, as do other UI preferences such as tracking speed and scroll direction. How much time do you spend (both frequency and duration) using others' computers? Regardless, I suggest you give it a try to see how often it actually does cause an issue, and whether or not it's manageable. Of course, YMMV. It's a trivial change to revert if it doesn't work for you. I know for me personally it's been a substantial overall win to remap caps lock.
  - Jtsummers 9y ago
    I use Dvorak on my home computer and any computer I have a chance to use regularly (like my primary office PC). I've remapped capslock to control at home, but not at work. Typically, the context shift requires no more than 5 minutes, and usually 0 minutes, for me to stop making mistakes. In my experience, the fact that I don't have the precise same physical keyboard helps a ton. My primary office desktop keyboard is different than in the labs (where I have less control), and different than my home laptop. So what I'm typing on feels different and I'm able to quickly adjust. It takes some practice, I won't lie, but after a few weeks you'll probably not be making any major mistakes.
    - burdickjp 9y ago
      I wasn't even thinking of it, but this would be an opportunity for me to go back to dvorak. I switched to qwerty when I started using vim.
- atemerev 9y ago
  The same. Even worse in fact, as Caps-B has even larger distance between the keys than Ctrl-B. Ctrl-T, Ctrl-G, Ctrl-B, Ctrl-Y, Ctrl-H and Ctrl-N should never be used for control key sequences except for something invoked rarely (and certainly not at the beginning of each command). Besides, Ctrl-B is not even logical. It was decided upon as "well, screen uses Ctrl-A, so we'll use Ctrl-B". Zero concerns about usability.
  - db48x 9y ago
    If you're straining your hands to type a chord, then you're typing it incorrectly. Control, alt, and shift are on both sides of the keyboard for a reason. You should use both hands to type chords; one key with each hand.
  - grzm 9y ago
    While distance between keys (in this case ctrl and B) is one factor, it's not the only factor. The position of Caps Lock is just to the left of A, which is part of the home row on a QWERTY keyboard, while depending on hand position, control is much harder to get to. I know the curl required for my pinky to engage Control is less comfortable for me than the slight shift to engage Caps Lock.
    - atemerev 9y ago
      Yes, just have tested it; marginally better, but still not something I'd want to push repeatedly.
- kahnpro 9y ago
  But I already remap capslock to escape!
lgunsch 9y ago
Plus, for those of us who use C-b for navigation in the terminal, instead of using the arrow keys, makes it a nightmare. 100% unusable until it's rebound to some other key. C-b, for me, is deeply ingrained as cursor navigation - in the terminal, Emacs, Conkeror, and even general GTK+ widgets. Edit: I don't experience hand strain though. I have caps-lock as Ctrl, and I use the Colemak keyboard layout.
- atemerev 9y ago
  Also not logical, because somebody who designed this, just chose the arbitrary shortcut as "backwards" starts with "b", and now we are stuck with it. I don't know why everybody seems to hate the arrow keys; I am a blind typer, and I definitely get more strain from emacs control sequences than from CUA and arrow keys. I would have used vim, but pressing Esc to switch between modes is akin to feeling an unwanted electrical jolt; breaks the flow in 100% of cases. And I like my flow.
otterpro 9y ago
I've always remapped the prefix key to Ctrl-A, since that is also same as `screen`. Add a line to.tmux.conf, `set -g prefix C-a`. If not, I remap to something easier like ctrl-space. Anyway, tmux prefix key that gets used so frequently, it's worth remapping.
samuel1604 9y ago
I simply remapped it to backquote (`) set-option -g prefix ` if you are on a remote box, I simply do a (c-b : and type it) although if you share this with other users that probably get them angry

mvanbaak 9y ago

Try to remap the useless capslock key to act as a control and you will see how Ctrl+b is a very nice key combo!

rocqua 9y ago
I am hesitant to remap capslock because it will fuck me on any computer that isn't mine. Besides. If I'd remap anything to capslock it'd be escape, but thats down to Vim.
- grzm 9y ago
  > I am hesitant to remap capslock because it will fuck me on any computer that isn't mine. I understand the concern. This does trip me up from time to time, as do other UI preferences such as tracking speed and scroll direction. How much time do you spend (both frequency and duration) using others' computers? Regardless, I suggest you give it a try to see how often it actually does cause an issue, and whether or not it's manageable. Of course, YMMV. It's a trivial change to revert if it doesn't work for you. I know for me personally it's been a substantial overall win to remap caps lock.
- Jtsummers 9y ago
  I use Dvorak on my home computer and any computer I have a chance to use regularly (like my primary office PC). I've remapped capslock to control at home, but not at work. Typically, the context shift requires no more than 5 minutes, and usually 0 minutes, for me to stop making mistakes. In my experience, the fact that I don't have the precise same physical keyboard helps a ton. My primary office desktop keyboard is different than in the labs (where I have less control), and different than my home laptop. So what I'm typing on feels different and I'm able to quickly adjust. It takes some practice, I won't lie, but after a few weeks you'll probably not be making any major mistakes.
  - burdickjp 9y ago
    I wasn't even thinking of it, but this would be an opportunity for me to go back to dvorak. I switched to qwerty when I started using vim.
atemerev 9y ago
The same. Even worse in fact, as Caps-B has even larger distance between the keys than Ctrl-B. Ctrl-T, Ctrl-G, Ctrl-B, Ctrl-Y, Ctrl-H and Ctrl-N should never be used for control key sequences except for something invoked rarely (and certainly not at the beginning of each command). Besides, Ctrl-B is not even logical. It was decided upon as "well, screen uses Ctrl-A, so we'll use Ctrl-B". Zero concerns about usability.
- db48x 9y ago
  If you're straining your hands to type a chord, then you're typing it incorrectly. Control, alt, and shift are on both sides of the keyboard for a reason. You should use both hands to type chords; one key with each hand.
- grzm 9y ago
  While distance between keys (in this case ctrl and B) is one factor, it's not the only factor. The position of Caps Lock is just to the left of A, which is part of the home row on a QWERTY keyboard, while depending on hand position, control is much harder to get to. I know the curl required for my pinky to engage Control is less comfortable for me than the slight shift to engage Caps Lock.
  - atemerev 9y ago
    Yes, just have tested it; marginally better, but still not something I'd want to push repeatedly.
kahnpro 9y ago
But I already remap capslock to escape!

lgunsch 9y ago

Plus, for those of us who use C-b for navigation in the terminal, instead of using the arrow keys, makes it a nightmare. 100% unusable until it's rebound to some other key. C-b, for me, is deeply ingrained as cursor navigation - in the terminal, Emacs, Conkeror, and even general GTK+ widgets. Edit: I don't experience hand strain though. I have caps-lock as Ctrl, and I use the Colemak keyboard layout.

atemerev 9y ago
Also not logical, because somebody who designed this, just chose the arbitrary shortcut as "backwards" starts with "b", and now we are stuck with it. I don't know why everybody seems to hate the arrow keys; I am a blind typer, and I definitely get more strain from emacs control sequences than from CUA and arrow keys. I would have used vim, but pressing Esc to switch between modes is akin to feeling an unwanted electrical jolt; breaks the flow in 100% of cases. And I like my flow.

otterpro 9y ago

I've always remapped the prefix key to Ctrl-A, since that is also same as `screen`. Add a line to.tmux.conf, `set -g prefix C-a`. If not, I remap to something easier like ctrl-space. Anyway, tmux prefix key that gets used so frequently, it's worth remapping.

samuel1604 9y ago

I simply remapped it to backquote (`) set-option -g prefix ` if you are on a remote box, I simply do a (c-b : and type it) although if you share this with other users that probably get them angry