Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tekcrl!tekgvs!toma
From: toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: EMACS keyboards (was Re: Left Handed programmers (was Sinister Hackers 8-)))
Summary: control key rundown
Message-ID: <7982@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>
Date: 19 Aug 90 17:44:51 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> <32974@cup.portal.com>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 34

In article <32974@cup.portal.com> ekalenda@cup.portal.com (Edward John Kalenda) writes:
>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. [...]
>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.

Actually, there are more control keys available with the left hand anyway.
*All* control keys are used by EMACS, no mater how difficult.

Left: qwertasdfgzxcvb^@ = 17 (or 16 on systems that use ^S for flow control)

Right: yuop[]_hjkln\ = 13

control I is tab and control M is carriage return,
and thus are not suitable for commands (well, technically in EMACS they are
commands).

>Remember, EMACS was designed to run on keyboards with NO extra keys other
>than cursor arrows. 

Actually no extra keys, period. The cursor keys are not needed.

>Keyboards with function keys were quite modern and
>innovative at the time. Hence the use of control keys for common commands.

Personally, I hate function keys because they force you to remove your hands
from the keyboard. 


Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com
Standard Disclaimers Apply