Re: a key system to replace gnu emacs's 1000 default keybindings

[Nix <nix-razor-pit@esperi.org.uk>]

On 26 May 2012, Dan Espen uttered the following:
> You'll need to create another write up that explains why
> we can't live without CAPS LOCK.

I used to think caps-lock was useless too, until I learned a bit of
formal touch typing, when it all came clear.

The caps-lock key is intended to reduce chording when typing multiple
capitalized letters at once (which used to be common in headings, and is
now common in e.g. macro names in C). Chording two keys with one hand is
very unpleasant and a significant cause of RSI, so formal touch typing
teaches that you should always use the opposite hand to the hit chording
keys, e.g. right shift and left F, but left shift and right L. (This is
why there are two shift, ctrl keys, and so on, on opposite sides of
keyboards). However, when typing runs of capital letters this requires
frequent flipping of the shift-holding hand from side to side, or
violation of this rule.

Thus, one hits caps lock *once*, types the run of capitalized keys, then
hits it again, thus avoiding both single-hand chording and an annoying
constant flip of the chording hand.

-- 
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