Re: How to type when using Emacs?

[Xah <xahlee@gmail.com>]

On Jul 10, 12:45 pm, adams...@email.unc.edu (Joel J. Adamson) wrote:
> I do recommend making the key to the left of "A" a control key; it has
> saved me a lot of motion and increased my speed while using Emacs.
> However, it's hard to remember that for my wife's desktop, it's still
> Caps Lock, and sometimes I end up repeating my typing.

Turning the Cap Lock key into the Control key is one of the bad advice
in keyboarding. It's one of the myth that perpetuate bad practice.

• It is one of the difficult key to press on the keyboard, pressed by
the pinky.

• It puts all stress on the left pinky.

• It forces the left hand to cram into spider legs positions, and or
the rigth hand flies about wildly.

• It renders many Control-‹key› spots void, since now with only one
pinky many otherwise good Ctrl-‹key› spots are hard to use.

• The left hand now constantly shift from home position.

Here's good tips:

• buy a keyboard with Control on both sides of keyboard.

• buy a keyboard such that left Control to F is the same as right
Control to J. (i.e. the modifier keys are placed symmetrically to your
home's home position)

• Press modifier keys using both hands, like how Shift key is pressed
in touch typing rules.

• On most fullsized PC keyboard, it's very easy to use palm or semi-
fist to press Control key. Do this and save Pinky.

Details:

How To Avoid The Emacs Pinky Problem
http://xahlee.org/emacs/emacs_pinky.html

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄