[mdlug] Linux Text Editors -- Try Cooledit

[Steve Litt]

LAP said on Fri, 6 Jan 2023 08:05:08 -0500


>Graphical editors usually have "hot keys" that can substitute for
>all menu/mouse driven commands.  Furthermore, these keys are user
>programmable.  There is no reason why a graphical editor cannot be
>as speedy as VIM.

The reason GUI editors with hotkeys aren't as fast, for the prolific
touch-typist, as Vim is because Vim is modal, so you seldom need to
type Ctrl+this and Alt+that, moving your hands of home position. The
often used Esc key is a far reach that slows the flow, but in Vim you
can define a new hotkey to fulfill the function of Esc.

[snip]

>The keyboard itself is often a major limiting factor.
>
>The standard QWERTY keyboard becomes extremely awkward and slow for
>tasks like Unicode entry or mathematical typesetting.

I type English so I'm not an authority on the preceding. That being
said, wouldn't using a keyboard meant for the language you're typing
minimize the input of Unicode?

[snip]

>The standard keyboard, remarkably, is based on a design that goes back
>over 100 years!
>
>Innovative hardware in this area is sorely needed.

Very true, and in fact QWERTY was designed specifically to slow the
typist so as not to have two mechanical keys jam each other due to an
insufficient interval between them.

The challenge is to provide a layout so good and reasonably easy that
current QWERTY touch-typists will convert.

SteveT

Steve Litt 
Autumn 2022 featured book: Thriving in Tough Times
http://www.troubleshooters.com/bookstore/thrive.htm