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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: Klipper [ was Re: Icon improvements. ]
From:       Dave Leigh <dave.leigh () cratchit ! org>
Date:       2001-03-11 15:33:40
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On Sunday 11 March 2001 11:14, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> Dave Leigh wrote:
> > I can't give much weight to the "weakest finger" complaint.  C(++) uses
> > the hell out of the semicolon, which is accessed by the weakest finger.
>
> Ah, the advantage of not being a touch typist! Being an ex-Pascal
> programmer, I'm *very* familiar with the semi-colon, and never hit it
> once with the little finger yet!
>
> OK, I'm fully aware that my personal complaint is just that -- a
> personal complaint, not a problem for everyone. But since I'm too old
> and too busy to learn to touch type, (and for the volume of typing I do,
> I do quite well using only three fingers on the left hand and four on
> the right), the placement of the ctrl key is a problem *for me*.
>
> > Both
> > shift keys are accessed by the little finger, and they're used more often
> > than the Ctrl or Alt keys.
>
> For whatever reason, the few millimeters of difference between the shift
> keys and ctrl keys makes the world of difference to me: I can use the
> shift keys with no problem at all, but hitting the ctrl keys (especially
> on the left, for Copy/Paste/Cut/Undo/Save) is not only awkward, but puts
> pressure on my wrist, whether I hit them with the little finger or the
> fourth finger.
>
> In fact, I find using the fourth finger puts *more* pressure on my
> wrist, while I can and do hold the shift key with the fourth finger with
> little trouble at all. Hence I don't use ctrl, or very rarely.
>
> > In any case, it seems to me that the placement of the Ctrl and Alt keys
> > are purely personal preference.
>
> I've never seen a Windows keyboard with the keys reversed. Are you
> suggesting that they do exist?

Yes.  So do DVORAK keyboards.  I agree you won't find one from Microsoft.  
However, you can re-map your keyboard, pop the keycaps and move them yourself 
(or re-label the keys).  You can even try one of the Happy Hacking keyboards 
that reverts the layout fairly close to the original IBM-PC layout.  This 
site describes that keyboard in some nice detail: 
http://www.pfuca.com/products/hhkb/hhkbindex.html

-- 
We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it.
		-- La Rochefoucauld

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