For a couple months now I have been using my dear old Emacs when doing Ruby stuff (with IDEA and Eclipse still taking care of me whenever I’m working with Java), and I had completely forgotten what happens to your left pinky when you use Emacs too much.
Put simply, it hurts. Lots.
If you have never used Emacs in anger, this cheat sheet might give you an idea: all those capital C’s are Ctrl key combinations, so in Emacs parlance, “C-x, C-f” means holding Ctrl and pressing x and f in sequence.
After mentioning this to a friend who uses Emacs all day, exclusively (and is also one of the finest C programmers I’ve known personally), he pointed me to this little trick he has used for a few years now: remapping the Caps Lock key to become another Ctrl key.
So, for those out there stuck on a tiny Dell laptop keyboard and running Windows XP, here’s the solution I’ve used: create a file named remap_capslock.reg and paste this into it:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
Execute it, restart, and enjoy being unable TO SHOUT IN NEWSGROUP DISCUSSIONS OR WRITE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS while your pinky thanks you.
Cedric | 01-Jun-05 at 2:27 pm | Permalink
I can’t believe you were still using the control key at the bottom of the keyboard. Guaranteed carpal tunnel syndrome in the next ten years and not just by using emacs.
I use Caps2Ctrl myself to remap it, which you can find at sysinternals. All my machines are patched this way.
Ralph Richard Cook | 01-Jun-05 at 2:41 pm | Permalink
I’ve done the same thing, for the same reason, so I’ll pass on some advice that’s worthy of manually typing in all caps: WHEN YOU REMOTE DESKTOP INTO THIS MACHINE, BE SURE THE CAPS LOCK IS OFF BEFORE LOGGING OFF. If you don’t, this machine will be stuck in all caps and you’ll have to remote desktop again to turn it off.
Cedric | 01-Jun-05 at 4:15 pm | Permalink
I’ve never had this problem with Remote Desktop but it might be because the CAPS LOCK function of all my keyboards is gone. Poof. Who needs it anyway?
Douglas | 01-Jun-05 at 6:10 pm | Permalink
Every time I do something in python or ruby I use SciTE. Does Emacs do anything that SciTE doesn´t (regarding ruby and python)? I have already tried using emacs a couple of times but I never get used to it!
Carlos Villela | 01-Jun-05 at 8:41 pm | Permalink
Well, nothing in particular, or at least nothing that jumps in front of me too threateningly not to mention, especially since I haven’t used SciTE much, but the general ‘hacky’ feel of Emacs puts me in a good mood to write code, that’s all. Oh, well, I guess the CVS integration’s pretty good, too.
Michael Mahemoff | 01-Jun-05 at 9:32 pm | Permalink
Funny, I’ve been using the laptop lately and have acquired a sore case of “vim thumb”. (Contorting the right thumb underneath the palm to hold right-shift.)
So finally *proof* that vim rocks over emacs – it’s at least 1.5 times more hazardous!
Shane Duan | 03-Jun-05 at 10:26 pm | Permalink
Hmmm…. I am really amazed now and here is the reason.
For as long as I can remember, I have been using my the upper left side of the palm to hold down the Ctrl key, which is very painless and easy to do. I have thought that many must have done the same but again and again I only hear people complaining that their pinky hurts.
Try it, it is really easy to do. Just push down the palm and practice how you can have only control key pressed.
Carlos Villela | 03-Jun-05 at 10:55 pm | Permalink
Shane, I don’t know if you have big hands and fat fingers like I do, but it’s simply impossible for me to press Ctrl-Z, X, C or V this way. As it happens, Z, X, C and V are the keys most often used with the Ctrl key
Am I missing something?
Shane Duan | 03-Jun-05 at 11:36 pm | Permalink
My only reply is that you have to decide if you want you pinky hurt. It IS hard on laptop but it is still possible if you train yourself to use middle and index finger. Of course, a pair of tiny hands like mine is a plus.
Another thing is something that I have just realized. I am using Dvorak input (http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/) so the Z, X, C end up being /, B, I for me. Hehee….
Chris Read | 07-Jun-05 at 9:04 pm | Permalink
Funny. In all my years I’ve never had any digit pain from using VI…
I do, however, suffer greatly when forced to use a laptop keyboard to do anything for more than 5 minutes…
A-Lin | 13-May-11 at 12:41 am | Permalink
Don’t forget that there are (usually) TWO Ctrl keys on a keyboard. Use one or the other when appropriate.