Re: Some ideas regarding keyboard shortcuts

>> Hello
>
>> I read through this devel-list's archive from May 2nd to this date, 
>> and wanted to think aloud.  I am currently linux only, but have used 
>> Mac and Windows too.
>
>> I do not use keyboard shortcuts in KDE, Gnome, wmaker, XFCE-4 or 
>> Windows, because I'm scared.  I do not know what they do, and don't 
>> want to take time to learn everything from the ground up.  It was so 
>> different with Apple's System 6 and 7, old Mac Plus and Mac LC.
>
>> I am not sure anymore what all the keys are called, but I think this 
>> is how they correspond:
>> PC has alt, Macs have command (the 2-pitched fork).  PC has ctrl, and 
>> Mac has the option key (with the four-looped symbol, can't remember 
>> its name now).  Time passed and Mac got a ctrl key for compatibility. 
>>  Time passed and PC got the Windows keys.  I have gleefully removed 
>> them from 2 keyboards (and many do because accidentally hitting one 
>> in Windows is a good way to screw up a fullscreen game by displaying 
>> the Start menu) and own one keyboard that doesn't have them at all.
>
>> I think we should do at least two things:
>
>> 1. Define a guideline so that using Y wouldn't require Windows keys.  
>> This is also good for multi-platform.
>
>> 2. Define a guideline so that we won't conflict with software we 
>> intend to use or be compatible with, i.e. what are the ideas of KDE 
>> or GNOME for certain tasks.

Really, we have to conflict with existing environments or we won't get 
anywhere. The whole idea(I thought) is to start with a clean slate so 
we can throw away any bad judgment calls)

>
>> This may be right or wrong, but I see a threefold division between 
>> power keys: a) system, b) windowmanager and c) application.  Maybe 
>> just twofold: system and application.  All power keys fall into the 
>> following categories (incomplete):

What does the system really need for itself? A logout shortcut, kill 
program(task manager), and a app/window switch shortcut? A few more 
keys if you have something like expose or virtual desktops. Standards 
for everything else, but let the app screw it up if it really wants to.

>> Pure FKEYS (F1-help, F10-menus)
>
> F11 and F12 are MacOS X reserved keys (kde theme for exposé and the 
> other thingy)

On some machines(laptops for sure) F1-6 are reserved for various 
hardware/software control things(brightness, volume, etc.), F7 is used 
on PowerBooks to control video mirroring. Holding down the Fn key 
returns these to acting as a 'normal' F# key. By default, Expose uses 
F9-11 for it's magic. F12 is used on laptops and non-apple keyboards 
for ejecting removable drives.

>
>> <snip insanely long list of shortcuts>

Why can't we have just one keyboard shortcut key? Windows almost does 
this(if you discount so-called accelerator keys, which don't get used 
much) with control(notable exceptions being alt-tab and alt-f4). Macs 
do this using Command, Gnome with control. Why can't we let users pick 
which modifier will be the 'magic' one?
This is easier to remember, I think, than such a long list...
Just my $.02

AF
---
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