From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Tim Johnson Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n... why? Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:49:36 -0000 Organization: Alaska Internet Solutions Message-ID: References: <1133329096.909577.80790@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> Reply-To: tim@johnsons-web.com NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1133387894 1615 80.91.229.2 (30 Nov 2005 21:58:14 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:58:14 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Nov 30 22:58:10 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EhZsr-0007BZ-Eb for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:53:02 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EhZsq-0001x7-TU for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:53:00 -0500 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-10!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help User-Agent: slrn/0.9.8.0 (Linux) Original-X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Original-Lines: 42 Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:135934 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:31540 Archived-At: On 2005-11-30, casioculture@gmail.com wrote: > > > In the tutorial it suggests I use C-p, C-b, C-f, and C-n rather than > arrow keys, why should i? > > What's even more annoying is this: C-p requires left hand C and right > hand p, and then C-b requries right hand C and left hand b. Same goes > for C-f and C-n. > > Trying to get used to this is such a pain. It's ludicrous. Much of this thread has been devoted to explaining *why*, as if emacs' chording paradigm should be defended. I'd like to take a different approach and speak briefly about the advantages. First of all, tho' let me point out that if your control key is not in an advantageous position it makes getting used to 'chording' more difficult. On my linux computers, I use xmodmap to swap the original caps lock and control keys so that the control key is next to the "a" key. Googling this topic should find some register scripts that enable this on Windows XP Having put the control key in that position, I find the control key combinations to be preferable in most cases to arrow keys, but having both is the best of both worlds. I have found learning emacs to be *extremely* difficult, but enabled by this newsgroup, and I have found the learning curve well worth the effort and emacs has enable me (and just speaking for myself here) to be much more productive than with point-and-click and traditional arrow keys, but that is just me.. When my partner, who uses Kedit watches me on the keyboard, he just shakes his head, sighs and says "If only I could learn that!". But he can, just by learning a few keystrokes at a time. JMTCW Tim (who programs in emacs and writes email in Vim) -- Tim Johnson http://www.alaska-internet-solutions.com