help-emacs-windows
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: [h-e-w] new user keybindings


From: Stephen F. Heffner
Subject: RE: [h-e-w] new user keybindings
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:08:12 -0700

Lennart Borgman spake thusly:

> IMHO CUA-bindings are that important for windows users that 
> they deserve 
> a place in the tutorial. I believe cua-mode makes it much 
> easier for a 
> windows user to learn and use Emacs.

I guess that's true, if you assume:

    o The typical newbie is unwilling and/or unable to learn the standard
      Emacs key bindings, and will therefore never use Emacs unless it's
      made to operate like a Windows app

    o The person will never use Emacs on any other platform, e.g. Linux

    o The person doesn't mind being locked into the "Windows way" of doing
      things

Certainly for some people these assumptions will be true; the question is what
proportion of the potential Emacs user base on Windows falls into that group.

However, as newbies gain experience and do more things with Emacs, they will
find that CUA only covers the basics, and they will have to learn the "Emacs
way" anyway, in order to progress in proficiency.

I started using Emacs on VMS and moved to Windows much later, so my fingers
know the original bindings as my lungs know how to breathe.  IMHO, they're not
bad WRT ergonomics.  At least they're 2-finger chords, unlike some Windows apps
that require the digital equivalent of the "Twister" game to accomplish (Emacs
jokes to the contrary notwithstanding).  And, as I mentioned before, they let
a touch-typist concentrate on thinking instead of looking at the keyboard...

My 2c (plain) as usual

Steve Heffner

Stephen F. Heffner, President        | Phone:  +1(480)626-5503
         ------------                | Fax:    +1(480)626-7618
Pennington Systems Incorporated      | Email:  address@hidden
8655 East Via de Ventura, Suite G200 | Web:    http://WWW.Pennington.com
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 USA        | XTRAN:  A software engineering meta-tool






reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]