10 ms·
From the article: "Any time you are pressing two keys at once, with the same hand, hundreds of times per day, you are setting yourself up for repetitive stress
by dima55 12y ago
From the article:
"Any time you are pressing two keys at once, with the same hand, hundreds of times per day, you are setting yourself up for repetitive stress injury"
People: learn to type. One hand for the modifier key, and the other hand for the other key. This is why there are two sets of modifier keys. This is typing 101
- jdpage 12y agoIf you're on OS X, and you want to force yourself to learn to do this, there's a program called Karabiner[1] which lets you remap keys in advanced ways using an XML config. I have a config snippet[2] that I got from somewhere (sadly, I don't remember where) that remaps incorrect combinations of Shift and letters to be dead. You can do something similar with AutoHotKey on Windows, though I don't have a config for it. [1] https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/ https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/ [2] http://pastie.org/9708667 http://pastie.org/9708667
- rz2k 12y agoI use Karabiner and Seil which are great, but unless you are using an Apple keyboard with a numeric keyboard, you don't get a right-control key, which will matter for many of the most used commands for emacs. For me, when recently trying to remap the left-shift key I found out that it was not a problem for the supposed best practice of using it for C-g/x/c etc, but that instead I had been using a worse practice for typing ":" or """ when the wrong characters turned up al over the place. Anyway, I suppose the left option key would be pretty good to map to control for emacs, since it's rarely more needed than the right option key.
- ashi 12y agoJust use Karabiner to configure Return to do double duty as Right Control.
- ek750 12y agoTrue, the laptop and compact apple keyboard lack a right control. I've found that I use the right option key infrequently and use Karabiner to remap the option to control. It definitely helps with the RSI, and makes switching to someone else's machine frustrating :)
- derengel 12y agoWhy would you remap the left option key to ctrl when you already have two left ctrl keys (caps and original ctrl) ? I do set the right option key to ctrl but only in iterm and emacs.
- rz2k 12y agoBecause I'm bad at writing! (I meant right-option) You have no idea what I am doing with the esc, capslock, and control keys on the left side of my keyboard, but none of them are default. On the right however I'm just trying to make sure I get a forward delete somewhere. In fact using Karabiner or Seil, the right shift is now shift if pressed as a modifier, but forward delete if pressed alone.
- theOnliest 12y ago> I have a config snippet[2] that I got from somewhere (sadly, I don't remember where) that remaps incorrect combinations of Shift and letters to be dead. Very likely from Steve Losh (I did this too, and it helped a lot): http://stevelosh.com/blog/2012/10/a-modern-space-cadet/#shift-key-training-wheels http://stevelosh.com/blog/2012/10/a-modern-space-cadet/#shif....
- pmoriarty 12y agoHow prevalent is repetitive stress injury among musicians, especially pianists, harpsichordists, etc..? They regularly press two or more keys at once all day long.
- SeanLuke 12y agoActually, extremely prevalent. Musicians have a very long and famous history with carpal tunnel and other forms of RSI. Among the most problematic instruments are piano, clarinet, flute, violin, and guitar. Piano is particularly infamous: you might look up Leon Fleisher.
- Curmudgel 12y agoYes. Keyboards with thumb clusters, e.g. one made by Maltron or Kinesis, make key chords as natural as pressing a single key on a regular keyboard.
- pmoriarty 12y agoThere's also the King's Assembly.[1] [1] - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/70308014/kings-assembly-a-computer-mouse-full-of-awesome https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/70308014/kings-assembly...
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- eikenberry 12y agohttp://solidartlabs.com/ http://solidartlabs.com/ Looking forward to reading some reviews once they are available. They look very promising.
- dcolgan 12y agoUsing Sharpkeys (http://www.randyrants.com/2011/12/sharpkeys_35.html http://www.randyrants.com/2011/12/sharpkeys_35.html) I remap Alt to be Ctrl, the Windows key to be Alt, and Ctrl to be the Windows key. Especially on laptop keyboards, the normal Alt keys are easily accessible to thumbs, and this eliminates the awkward hand curling caused by pressing the normal Ctrl with your pinky without needing a special keyboard. I also swap backspace and caps lock.
- derengel 12y agoThat's why apple keyboards (macbooks, imacs) bother me, they don't have a right ctrl key. (I set the right option key to ctrl in both iterm2 and gui emacs.
- derekp7 12y agoMy problem is that I did learn to touch type -- back when keyboards didn't have a ctrl or alt keys. Of course, I'm referring to the IBM Selectric keyboards. So my fingers only know to hit the left/right shift keys when needed. Once keyboards grew the ctrl/alt keys, they only came on the left side. So my natural hand movement for something like Ctrl-C is left pinky on the Ctrl key, and an awkward stretch to put the middle finger on C. So annoying that my right pinky or thumb never learned about the right side ctrl/alt keys.
- Myrmornis 12y agoPeople: don't learn to type. Seriously, I know this won't appeal to everyone, but there is a solution to worrying about key combos causing RSI. Just don't touch type. Do embarrassing hunt-and-peck typing. I'm a professional programmer and long-time emacs user and I can't touch type for shit and it doesn't affect my career and my hands and wrists have been completely free of any trouble whatsoever (to current age of 36). If hunt-and-peck leaves you typing slower than you can design software solutions in your head then find a more challenging job.
- tuhdo 12y agoExcept that even if I have to type 10 characters for code, I want it to complete in 2 seconds, not 20 seconds, to continue my train of thoughts.
- erikb 12y agoI heard that before and can't agree either. Continuing your thought is also important. That requires you to think about the content of what you write and not how to write. That requires you to let your fingers worry where the keys are. What if it has an effect on your career and you don't realise it? Sounds way more likely to me.
- Myrmornis 12y agoFair enough. I was kind of trolling and deserve any downvotes I get. But I was partly serious: I would like, in principle, to learn to touch type; I take my text editor very seriously and have learned the language that it is customized in fairly deeply. But when I start to learn to touch type, I immediately start to get pains in my fingers that I've never felt before, and my instinct is strongly to let sleeping dogs lie here: it is my profession and if I don't currently suffer any hand problems I think I should carry on as-is.
- Derbasti 12y agoUgh. I met your type. Single-letter variable names. No documentation. Because typing more would consume too much time. No thank you. Edit: Not you, particularly. But I have met bad typists, and that is how many of them behaved. Don't be that guy.
- mhd 12y agoDid we actually have some decent research confirming this? Computer people talking about RSI often sounds like crossfitters talking about diet... (Also: sticky modifiers)
- elwell 12y agoI think this is referring to two keys that require an, albeit small, stretch to reach. If the two keys are right next to each other, that's not going to bother you much more than a single key. What I'm getting at, is that since I've started using key-chord.el [0] in my .emacs my emacs-pinky has basically disappeared. E.g., I press 'h' and 'u' at the same time to save the current buffer. I press 'ji' to move cursor up one line, 'nj' down one line, 'jk' to go left, 'kl' to move right. 'sd' backspace, 'df' delete. I'm keeping my fingers on the home row for most of these. It's been a boon, and I'm still unlocking its potential. [0] - http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/key-chord.el http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/key-chord.el
- easytiger 12y agoI do it too but the op is right. You can achieve these by mixing use of modifiers on either side of the spacebar, but I never see anyone do it.
- evincarofautumn 12y agoI don’t believe I’ve ever used the right Shift key on a keyboard. And I had fairly bad RSI, but completely eliminated my symptoms by improving my posture, remapping my modifier keys, and getting a less stressful job. Yes, what you do with your hands matters, but there are other factors at play that are equally important.
- sjolsen 12y agoI think chording is the least of one's worries; the awkward staggering of the IBM-style keyboard and the modifiers designed to be pressed by a curled pinky (especially Shift) are murder on my hands, chords or not. From a strictly ergonomic standpoint, I would choose Emacs on a TEK or Maltron over Vi on a traditional keyboard any day of the week.
- im2w1l 12y agoMany countries have Alt-Gr keys instead of right Alt.