Re:Google’s in-house desktop Linux
by e63f67dd-065b on Monday August 01, 2022 @11:29PM
(#32314807)
> Some key mappings break in text boxes. I've remapped Find to Control+F, which works most of the time, but not if my cursor is in a text box, because then it moves the cursor forward. Control+B for bold and Control-A for select all are likewise. To make it worse, this only happens for certain text boxes, and heck if I can figure out the pattern.
Don't remap Cmd+<key> shortcuts to Ctrl+<key>. The great thing about the cmd key is that it doesn't conflict with anything else. Ctrl-f is forward, ctrl-b is back, ctrl-a is beginning of line, etc, these have been around in emacs (readline?) for a long time and it's great that native os textboxes implement them. This is why it's inconsistent; bad apps use their own snowflake controls and fail to implement them.
cmd-<key> don't conflict which is why they're used. Ctrl-c meaning both SIGINT and "copy to clipboard" is a disaster on terminals, the cmd-c life is much better. By trying to remap cmd to ctrl you're working against the OS and the OS will fight you back because it's not designed to do that.
The entire industry outside of Apple has standardized on keyboard shortcuts. When using my Mac, 80% of my work is remoted into a Linux machine where I need Ctrl+ hotkeys. I have more than 30 years of experience using machines with Ctrl+ hotkeys. All of my machines outside of the work Mac use those hotkeys. I have no interest in switching now.
For native apps. Sort of.
* Though you can assign Ctrl to the Fn key, you cannot assign the Fn action to any key so you can't swap them without giving up the ability to use the Fn key at all.
* This doesn't work for web apps. Google Docs etc. will still use Command key shortcuts and will thus be different locally versus remoted into a machine.
* Some key mappings break in text boxes. I've remapped Find to Control+F, which works most of the time, but not if my cursor is in a text box, because then it moves the cursor forward. Control+B for bold and Control-A for select all are likewise. To make it worse, this only happens for certain text boxes, and heck if I can figure out the pattern.
In all, it's an incredibly frustrating experience.