Re: Will default key bindings spell the death of Emacs?

[Kevin Rodgers <ihs_4664@yahoo.com>]

Lars Hansen wrote:

> Users should not adopt to Emacs. Emacs should adopt to users!


Users should adopt Emacs' ways -- it is far more mature than they are.

Emacs _can_ adapt to users.


> Emacs is said to be customizable, and key bindings is the first thing users
> want to customize. But key bindings are much to hard to change! When I 
> started
> using Emacs some years ago, I spend several weeks trying to figure out 
> how to
> bind the most basic operations to the keys I wanted. In particular I wanted
> ESC to do keyboard-escape-quit and C-z, C-x, C-c, C-v to do what they do on
> MS Windows. That ought not to be difficult at all, it should be a piece of
> cake, especially to new users! So we do indeed have a problem!


Then you should submit a proper bug report: exactly what you did, how
Emacs responded, and what you expected to happen.


> Yes, it is a large task to implement a possibility to completely change
> keymappings of Emacs, but never the less, IMHO it is the right thing to do.
> And it could be done in small steps if we lay out a strategy.


"We" will only lay out a strategy if you convince us that it's the right thing
to do.  But you haven't.


> I work on MS Windows as well as on two Unix-like systems, and I am very
> pleased with the uniformity in user interface I get from protable 
> applications
> like Emacs. But to me it is not enough that the interface is the same. 
> It should
> also be one that suits me. And the default Emacs key bindings do not.


Yes, you've said that you prefer the Microsoft Windows conventions.  But
you haven't said how CUA mode fails to meet your preferences.

> They
> seem to be selected from the idea that all operations should have their 
> own key
> binding simultainously! The result are long and complicated keystrokes.

I'm not sure what you mean.  Are you referring to Control-Meta- key
combinations?  You can avoid them by using ESC as a prefix to the
corresponding Control- key combination, or using the menu bar, or
defining your own "shortcuts" (key bindings).  Or are you referring
to the C-x and C-c prefix keys?

In any case, I resent the fact that you think your individual preferences
should become the default for me, even though I've been using Emacs on
Unix exclusively for almost 20 years.

-- 
<a href="mailto:&lt;kevin.rodgers&#64;ihs.com&gt;">Kevin Rodgers</a>