[] confession...

[Jonathan McKeown]

On Tuesday 24 November 2009 09:15:43 Gary Kline wrote:
> 	it's time to come clean an admit that i have never taken
> 	advantage of the option that lets you press [???], then press
> 	other keys in order so the result is like pressing multiple
> 	keys at once.
>
> 	i have never made a big deal over having but one useful hand
> 	simply because in my line as a hacker, one hand was enough.
> 	programming at 95mph was never the goal.  everybody on this
> 	list has learned that forethought and planning beat typing
> 	speed!  ---still, when my shoulder began to dislocate in 1999,
> 	typing thr number-shift keys [like '*', '&', '^', and the rest
> 	became harder [*].  i'm ready to set up the multi-key stuff that's
> 	built in to at least KDE.
>
> 	appreciate a  pointer to a url or tutorial on this...  and/or
> 	to know what this feature is even called.  it's time to get
> 	practical.  i am stubborn, just not particular stupid.  maybe
> 	"slow" :_)

If you're using KDE3.5, look for Regional and Accessibility|accessibility 
under the Control Centre.

There are two options, and I think the one you need is called sticky-keys, 
which makes the modifier keys (shift, alt, ctrl) ``stay pressed'' until you 
press another key. In other words, you can type the old three-fingered salute 
by pressing and releasing ctrl, pressing and releasing alt, and then pressing 
and releasing del.

There's also an option called ``lock sticky keys''. If you choose this, the 
sequence of separate press-releases:

shift a b

results in Ab (the shift only applies to the next key pressed)

whereas the sequence

shift shift a b c shift d

results in ABCd (double-shift locks shift key on until it's pressed again).

(The other options, slow keys and bounce keys, apply if muscle control is 
impaired and cause a key to have to be held for a set time before it 
registers, and released for a certain time before registering a second 
key-press).

Jonathan