Seriously! This is such an easy win.
If you use Windows, you now have easier access to the main shortcut layer. 'Nuff said.
If you use Mac, now you can start really getting into the ctrl and cmd+ctrl layers. These are great for custom shortcuts.
I don’t really know what the situ is with Linux. Kinda somewhere between the two? Anyway, if you use linux you probably use Vim or Emacs.
For Emacs the gains are pretty obvious. Your shortcut chording will turn to symphonies. You have likely already done this. Go have fun.
The real surprise is Vim, which has some really amazing shortcuts in the Ctrl layer. For instance:
<c-w> <something-else>is a huge layer for window management:<c-w> q– close a window<c-w> w– next window<c-w> h/j/k/l– next window in that direction<c-w> s– horizontal split<c-w> v– vertical split<c-w> i– split and go to implementation on whatever is under your cursor!- etc
<c-a>in insert mode pastes whatever you typed last time you were in insert mode.<c-u>/<c-d>for up/down half a page,<c-b>/<c-f>for a full page.<c-o>/<c-i>goes to the previous/next places you ‘jumped’: works great withgf/gd/gi.<c-[>is the same as<esc>, meaning you don’t have to reach up for it! Just move each pinky finger slightly outwards and click. The over-reliance on<esc>would be really annoying without this feature.
This section got extra love because I use vim a bunch. By the way,
Vim has nice ways of replacing caps lock: for instance, gUip uppercases the
entire paragraph!
Hopefully this helps you realise that Ctrl is far more useful than Caps Lock and deserves a place nearer the home row.
I also implore Caps Lock power-users to try out different forms of emphasis!
✨ Express yourself! ✨
...it’s late in the evening and I need my NaBloPoMo post.