After suffered index finger pain from using mouse for a long time, In spite of the risk of getting emacs hands, I equipped all my systems with Emacs and decided to use GUI as sparingly as possible.
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I have the habit of using both Ctrl keys in standard IBM keyboard layout so I was not lurked to Remap Caps Lock Key, which is a half-standard popular approach of giving left pinky double work based on the fact that traditional UNIX keyboards typically had the control key where the caps lock key is now. This knowledge is true, but it is not the correct answer to Emacs.
Emacs shortcuts were designed specifically for the space-cadet keyboard which is commonly used for List machines in the 80s. In those keyboards, Ctrl key is the main modifier key and Meta is right after it as the secondary modifier. In today’s IBM PC keyboard, the Meta key has been replace by Alt and the Ctrl key is placed in the corner far away out of thumb’s reach. Strangely enough, despite the fact that IBM has made the Ctrl key one of the most costly keys to press, almost all software designs have followed the convention of using Ctrl key as the main modifier key along with the HCI guidance published by IBM itself and Apple.
Although the keyboard layout change was a tragedy for Emacs users, it didn’t affect new generations of programers such as myself, as I only had Commandore 64 as my first Computer/Game console when I was 5. After that, IBM keyboard dominated the PC market.
Nowadays, I use Emacs friendly Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 keyboard at home.
This is definitely one of the best keyboards you can get as a programmer, it has split keys oriented for each hands, very large modifier keys. Most importantly, they are symmetrically positioned on each side, which is the perfect design for people use modifier keys a lot. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can even re-map the modifier keys with the IntelliType software comes with the keyboard. For example, you can swap Ctrl and Alt keys to make the keyboard function exactly same as original Symbolics Keyboards.
I was quite happy with it.
Things started to go wrong when I switched to a MacBook Pro, which only has one bad positioned small Ctrl key positioned in the middle nowhere.
To cope with the pool design of precious Ctrl in Emacs, I re-mapped Caps Lock key for the first time . Who needs Caps Lock key anyway, especially when you are using Emacs :p. Also I re-mapped Caps Lock key for my work PC in Windows XP, hoping to form the new finger habits quicker.
I can live with the feeling that my right pinky has been cut off and hope I can get used to it in a few weeks. But after a while, my left pinky hurts and It hurts a lot. I have been searching for the solutions and tried to work out the best one for my case. But after reading How To Avoid The Emacs Pinky Problem, I give up the thought of getting a Apple Keyboard just for the right Ctrl key. Apple keyboard sucks!
To ease my pinky pain, I am bring the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 keyboard to work and upgrade to Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 7000 for my home PC, then move back to Linux again. As for the Macbook Pro, I’ll just use it mainly for design and coding objective-c.
That’s right, I am giving up the slick Macbook Pro because of Emacs Pinky.