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From: ekalenda@cup.portal.com (Edward John Kalenda)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Left Handed programmers (was Sinister Hackers 8-))
Message-ID: <32974@cup.portal.com>
Date: 19 Aug 90 04:20:29 GMT
References: <1990Aug6.233133.4791@actrix.co.nz> <10401@stiatl.UUCP>
  <1990Aug16.080332.1572@ste.dyn.bae.co.uk> <jdarcy.650814205@zelig>
  <7968@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> <24152@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 14

EMACS is left hand intensive because the control key is on the left side
and it's easier to type control characters with one hand than two. You
just press control with your left pinky finger and then there are twelve
easily reached keys to bind commands to. If there had been a control key on
the right side, there would be left and right control key commands in EMACS
with the middle group of keys unused since they would be the only ones
difficult to reach.

Remember, EMACS was designed to run on keyboards with NO extra keys other
than cursor arrows. Keyboards with function keys were quite modern and
innovative at the time. Hence the use of control keys for common commands.

Ed
ekalenda@cup.portal.com