Re: Suggestion for C-t (transpose-chars)

["Mathias Dahl" <mathias.dahl@gmail.com>]

> With a prefix argument ARG C-t allows to *drag* a character ARG
> characters away.  Even though the respective code is impressively
> elegant I think it would be more helpful when one could *transpose*
> two characters ARG characters away from point!

I am totally impressed that people use these commands! I suspect it
takes quite a while getting into the habit and actually do this,
instead of simply DEL DEL DEL ... and retype. I am even more impressed
when thinking about there being people that even used the prefix arg
to this command. Wow! What brain power it must have taken to get that
habituized. At tops at would use the occacional C-t after misspelling
`the' as `teh'. As you might suspect I don't use this command much, so
take my opinion lightly, but I do agree that what Dieter suggests
sound more useful than the current behavior. Also, in hope that I can
learn as well, I would love to hear about in which scenarios people
end up using this.

> I guess this would also be helpful for non-touch-typists.  Isn't it
> the case that one confuses only the sequence of two *neighbouring*
> characters and realises that very often after typing one or two
> additional ones?  I find myself often typing C-b, C-b, C-t and C-e.
> With the suggested change it would save 4 keystrokes (C-2 and C-t).

A comment about counting keys like this, I think it is misleading to
count that as 4 keystrokes, typing the same key twice is in my opinion
much easier than moving the fingers to type another one so I think it
should count as 3, or maybe 3.2... :) Also, and this is a very
uninformed opinion from one that have been touch typing (still
learning) for some months, but isn't the `t' slightly easier to type
than the `2', even more reducing the win?

Anyway, I just wanted to present some counter-arguments, maybe not
even good ones. :) Still, I agree that the proposed behavior sounds
more useful than the current one.

/Mathias