On a US keyboard where these shortcuts were developed, you'd have to stretch your hand across the keyboard to reach Ctrl-P. That's why it's Ctrl-V, it wasn't arbitrary.

I miss Sun keyboards and their dedicated copy/paste keys.

▲

Henchman21 a day ago | parent | next [-]

And a control key in the right place. Dammit.

▲

silon42 a day ago | parent [-]

I have a conspiracy theory that MS made IBM move the control key to kill WordStar, which had the superior keyboard shortcuts.

	▲	physicles 13 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Seems plausible. If anyone else is curious about the history here, I found [1]: > The original computer terminals and microcomputers for which WordStar was developed, many running the CP/M operating system, did not have function keys or cursor control keys (arrow keys, Page Up/Page Down). WordStar used sequences of alphabetic keys combined with the "Control" key, which on keyboards of the time was conveniently next to the letter A in the position now usually occupied by the Caps Lock key. For touch typists, in addition, reaching the function and cursor keys generally requires them to take their fingers off the "home keys" with consequent loss of typing rhythm. [1]: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Wordstar

▲

lupusreal a day ago | parent | prev [-]

Ctrl-V is arbitrary from a mnemonic sense. "Vaste"?

	▲	andrewshadura 19 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		V looks like the insertion mark
	▲	chuckadams a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		eh, vy vaste ze energy zinking about eet too moch ah ha ha...</the-count> :)=