[Gllug] bash / go to beginning of line

[David Damerell]

On Thursday, 21 Feb 2002, Paul Brazier wrote:
>Surely it makes more sense to have the movement keys physically arranged
>according to their logical function. i.e. the "up" key should be above
>the "down" key. Also, separate arrow keys create a logical division
>between the data entry keys (i.e. alphanumeric) and the "data
>manipulation" keys.

No. It makes more sense to have the movement keys be where your hands
are. 

>machines die out. Perhaps the primary support should be for arrow keys
>but with an optional add-on for those with inadequate keyboards rather
>than the other way round?

You don't need an inadequate keyboard; you just need to want your
editor to be fast to drive.

>I don't think the speed thing is really an issue - the Esc key is just
>as far as the arrow keys and anyway I'd rather go for simplicity and
>logical clarity of design than a few seconds speed increase.

On sensible keyboards Esc is at the top left of the main block of keys
and not out on a limb; and on something you use every day - like a
text editor - sacrificing speed for a temporary benefit for novice
users is braindead.

>If you were
>designing a computer from scratch and you didn't know how they were made
>before I think you'd go for arrow keys.

Yes. But after a couple of decades, you might have evolved touch
typing and would think about moving cursor movement commands somewhere
more sensible.

>Maybe we should all brush up our long division and do all our sums with
>an abacus just in case we're ever caught without a calculator?

Bogus analogy. An abacus isn't faster than a calculator.

-- 
David Damerell <damerell at chiark.greenend.org.uk> flcl?

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