Remix.run Logo
int_19h 2 days ago

> Before that, the most commonly copied keystrokes in programmer's editors were the freaking Wordstar ones e.g. in all the Borland products.

Borland switched to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access shortcuts in the last few versions of their TUI - Ctrl+Ins, Shift+Ins, Shift+Del for clipboard, for example. Since Windows also supported them (and still does!) this actually made for a nice common system between Turbo Vision TUI apps and actual GUI in Windows.

kccqzy 2 days ago | parent [-]

And I only recently discovered that Ctrl+Ins and Shift+Ins worked in my Emacs despite me never configuring it; and it even works in the minibuffer. It also worked in a couple of terminal emulators I have tried on Linux. It's really more universal than one might think.

int_19h 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

It's unfortunate that the accidental standard also happened to be the one requiring the use of both hands. I think that's why Ctrl+X/C/V won in the end.

GuB-42 2 days ago | parent [-]

It doesn't. Shift+Del, Ctrl+Ins,... can be done just using the right hand, while Ctrl+X/C/V uses the left hand. And sometime you may want to use two hands, which can be done in both cases by using the other Ctrl and Shift key. I actually use both kinds of shortcuts, depending on the situation.

Del and Ins are also conveniently close to the cursor navigation keys (arrows, home, end, PgUp, PgDn).

The reason I think Ctrl+X/C/V won out is that it is more convenient when using the mouse, it is also better with nonstandard keyboards where the "Ins" key is awkwardly placed, if not missing entirely.

neutronicus 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I use Shift+Insert constantly in Spacemacs since I can't use evil-mode "p" in the minibuffer

kccqzy 2 days ago | parent [-]

I think the usual way of doing paste in Spacemacs is yank, C-y.

neutronicus 14 hours ago | parent [-]

Yeah for whatever reason Shift+Insert is the more "sticky" memory for me. I think because I also use it in Windows terminals.