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> I've never encountered use for those keys that are really useful. There are some very common operations across apps (Linux/Windows) that I use all the time
by duncanawoods 6y ago
> I've never encountered use for those keys that are really useful.
There are some very common operations across apps (Linux/Windows) that I use all the time and can be stabbed without thinking:
F2 - rename
F5 - refresh
F11 - fullscreen
If you are programmer then it's kind of essential during debugging:
F5 - run / continue
F9 - insert breakpoint
F10 - step over
F11 - step in
Not having physical keys for navigating would be a nightmare.
- pcr910303 6y agoWell, aren't that basically the use case for the Touch Bar? I've never used any of them you've listed (except for F5-refresh, which I avoid and use Cmd-R). The fn-keys are as context-dependent as the Touch Bar and it's even more opaque than what it does just by glancing the buttons. For debug tools, Xcode unfortunately doesn't provide Touch Bar buttons for them (which I think is a pity), but IntelliJ IDEA seems to be providing them. With this example I'm firmly thinking that having fn-keys just for the sake of people who do know a bit of key shortcuts would be a nightmare.
- duncanawoods 6y agoI think it was a good idea to rethink function keys it's just that for their current uses, the touch bar is worse. Things like steering a debugger is an eyes-on-the-road activity benefiting strongly from physical keys. I would be much more supportive of ideas like "keys with displays" or a non-interactive strip to act as labels. What I dream of is physical pixels for tactile displays or a fleet of magnetic microbots that can swarm together to form switches, knobs and sliders at will.