"Emacs Pinky" :: Solving battery problems?

Question

I started getting RSI and I was looking through solutions when I read this:

What is the best way to avoid getting "Emacs Pinky"?

I like the Mapping spacebar solution as space and control, but here is the problem:

I usually travel a lot and do not have access to one computer. I make changes to my documents on several computers where I don’t have root access (hell, I don’t even have regular access in some).

Are there batteries capable of implementing a solution for spatial bars? Maybe a little lisp code?

Answer 1

(comment too long, but it may help you)

The solution for the spatial string looks interesting, although at first glance it is too hacky for me, but I can try ...

In any case, I would say that the problem with "Emacs pinky" is related to the default Emacs shortcuts, which should be one of the most painful and annoying shortcuts ever created for the program (and this comes from a large Emacs fan, so don’t take it as criticism of Emacs).

There are too many default shortcuts that require the use of the little finger: CTRL-p (previous line) comes to mind. These are two music for you, and it should be so smart, because "p" means "previous". All Cx something and Cc something require too much finger stretching, and I find Mx too scary a shortcut ...

I know this can happen like heresy, but some people enjoy using Emacs with vim style navigation and, frankly, I can't blame them.

Personally, I like the fact that everything is customizable under Emacs, so I came up with a personalized configuration that tries:

• minimize hands / fingers and pinky movements.
• maximize the use of strong fingers
• make the most of the keys that already have fingers ((a) sdf and jkl (;) on the QWERTY keyboard, but “a” and “;” means using the little finger

I am not opposed to using the little finger from time to time: but for me this repetition is too much using the little finger, which can damage your hands.

So, as an example, instead of using CTRL-{p,n,f,b} to move, I use:

• ALT-{i,j,k,l} (moving your hands to the arrow keys is a big no-no).

• as-jump mode

If you have never used ace-jump-mode , you probably want to use it. This is one of the biggest timekeepers for Emacs. I attached ace-jump-char -mode to Me , which means that I can get to any character that I can see in the buffer in four or five keystrokes (including two to get into Me). It beats with CTRL-{p,n,f,b} any day and is sure to help save your sweethearts.

You can get imagination and change the ace-jump mode so that the actual jump (the last keystroke) is performed without having to press the key that requires the little finger: looking at the source, it looks pretty simple (but then in some you will need another keystroke: anyway it will still be much faster than manually).

Here's a two-minute demo on how to quickly jump using ace-jump-mode (but even this great video doesn't cope with this mode: you really need to use it to understand how cool it is):

"Stones Emacs! Episode 10: Jump":

http://emacsrocks.com/e10.html

And then in addition to Cx and Mx I added C-, and M-, , to act as Cx and Mx .

For instance:

 (define-key global-map [(control ,)] ctl-x-map) 

I would say that if you find or don't use the portable way of using your SPC as CTRL, you can also look for alternatives to C-{p,n,f,b} and Cx / Mx ('x', even if it doesn't require little finger, not very convenient IMHO).

TL; DR

To save your little fingers, you can:

• enable vim style ready to use

• or take the time it takes to (re) completely customize your Emacs to your liking and so that it doesn't destroy your little fingers (which may include, but is not limited to, using SPC as CTRL if you find a portable way to do this)

In addition to this, you can use emacs modes (e.g. ace-jump-mode) to save a lot of keystrokes.

Answer 2

I recently discovered a key-chord mode: “Key-chord allows you to associate commands with a combination of key strokes. Here,“ key chord ”means two keys pressed at the same time, or one key is pressed twice quickly.”

The best part is that, apparently, you can define a key chord, starting with a space. http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs-en/KeyChord (and see space-chord.el )

So, to solve your problem, right?

Answer 3

You may consider ErgoMacs , which should solve just this problem. I haven't tried it since I used Emacs for half a century before I found it. I really have a huge amount of keyboard settings, including C,Mi,j,k,l motion (not really vi style).

Answer 4

Even with the Kinesis Advantage keyboard that helps tons, I still suffer from problems with my wrist and thumb after too many years of ctrl-n, ctrl-p, etc. So I studied vim and came across an evil packaging for emacs. This is amazing. Once you know the vim bindings and get used to the beat, non-modal editing (using crazy combinations of ctrl-meta bindings) seems completely nuts from an ergonomic point of view.

So, I definitely recommend that any emacs with the little finger or thumb try the evil mode and find out the vim bindings.

Answer 5

It may sound like a hack, but my suggestion is to switch from the default Emacs keyboard display to one of the vi emulators. I use Viper, which I believe is the standard package. I think you can enable it by request:

(viper required) Mx viper-mode

This is the only way I've ever worked with emacs since I have always found that its basic display on the keyboard is pretty obscure.

The only drawback, besides the learning curve that you might need if you are not already familiar with vi, is that you can replace "emacs pinky" with "escape-key-finger"

Answer 6

In part, yes.

There are similar utilities that are fully executed in user space, namely Space2Ctrl and Keydouble . Both require an X.

I am the author of at-home-modifier , "I use space as a ctrl". Since I am comparing the three here , Space2Ctrl and Keydouble have fewer options than the home modifier, so "batteries" cannot be enabled, but the (C ++ / C) codes are simple and probably easy to crack.

Take care. (I wrote mine because my little finger started to hurt, but now it’s good, but do not abuse your thumbs.) The README at-home-modifier also provides some health and keyboard tips.

Answer 7

rempap ​​your numpad.AHK Script,

 NumpadIns::^s NumpadEnd::^c NumpadDown::^v NumpadPgDn::^x NumpadLeft::^+v NumpadClear::Control NumpadRight::^a NumpadHome::q NumpadUp::Tab NumpadDel::^f NumpadEnter::Space 

1: copy
2: paste
0: save

Buy a new numeric keypad for ease of use.