On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:52:24 +0100, Ted Gould <ted@...11...> wrote:
Hello all,
In the Inkscape project we're constantly butting up against the problem where there simply aren't enough modifiers for everything we'd like to implement. This means for most of our tools there is a constant battle to figure out how we can fit everything into Alt, Ctrl and Shift. We manage. But, many window managers are using alt click to drag windows which takes 1/3 of our options away.
You left out meta, so it's only a 1/4.
There are lots of solutions to this, I'm curious which way makes sense to people.
- Applications could start using the "Meta" key. I don't like this
because it seems to be something that is rather machine specific. I don't think applications should be using this modifier.
Assuming that the alt-key is always available is machine specific too.
- There is some Freedesktop spec that says Window Managers should only
use the meta modifier for their actions.
- Somewhere there is a spec that allows a window manager hint to be set
by applications to say "I'd really like Alt, please!!!"
- Some users don't get functionality out of some apps unless they
reconfigure the apps or their desktop.
My personal favorite here is "2" -- I think that the Meta key could be turned into the "desktop" key where other desktop actions could be assigned to it also.
I don't see Freedesktop making any major headway on this, mostly because it is so ingrained already.
I frankly don't like any of those four. I'd vote for "Allow the alt-key to be mapped for mouse use just like it is for keyboard shortcuts, then the user can decide whether to mod the WM or the app."
What's so sacred about alt-mouse0 that it can't be mapped while alt-v can? Seriously, is there a big technical hitch with doing that?
If there is then fine, there's plenty of other more important things. I just don't get this idea that there's some principle at stake in using alt that's so important that every single Linux machine must be changed from its default settings rather than allow some other key to be used instead!
TW