[] confession...

[Gary Kline]

On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 08:40:08AM +0100, Polytropon wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:15:43 -0800, Gary Kline <kline at thought.org> 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.
> 
> After reading this paragraph, the whole thing sounds VERY
> familiar to me. In your mind, open a picture of a Sun Type 5
> or 6 keyboard - or use google :-) - and look what's the key
> on the lower right of the alphanumeric section. It is - oh
> big surprise - the Compose key that acts quite the same way
> that you described. It enables the user to compose a new
> character by pressing its components one after another.
> 
> I'm almost sure that this functionality can be forced upon
> other modifier keys, such as "press shift - now "shift mode"
> is on for the next character, press '1', and you get '!';
> now "shift mode" is off again". The same could work for the
> other modifiers (ctrl, meta, alt, alt-gr).
> 
> In fact, Meta just works this way, e. g. in the Midnight
> Commander. For Meta-c, you press Esc, then c. The PC keyboard
> usually does not come with a Meta key, so this solution is
> very welcome. It can even emulate PF keys when the terminal
> emulation doesn't support them, e. g. PF2 = Esc, 2.
> 
> 
> 
> > everybody on this
> > 	list has learned that forethought and planning beat typing
> > 	speed!
> 
> You are so right with that statement. Today's IT education,
> be it professional schools or universities, seem to spit
> out "programmers" that have coded some stuff in ten different
> languages, but are completely unable to program with just
> their brain, and maybe a pencil and some paper; this is
> "old school", but produced all the programs the Internet
> runs on.
> 
> And: No, "trial & error" is not a programming concept. :-)
> 
> 
> 
> > 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" :_)
> 
> Sadly, I've abandoned KDE many years ago, so I can't help
> you with that.
> 


	Another list member pointed me to the Control Center where
	they sticky-keys setup stuff is in KDE.  Along with a couple
	examples.  (I'll say for the 60 000th time that a good example
	is worth a thousand words:)

	I don't know how things are with the current IT grads, but
	when I did my first two quarters in BASIC at night school, I
	spent literally hours with textbook, paper and pencil walking
	thru sample code until it sunk in.  That gave me some ideas
	when I took my first quarter of FORTRAN IV.  

	cheers!

	gary

> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Polytropon
> Magdeburg, Germany
> Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
> Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...

-- 
 Gary Kline  kline at thought.org  http://www.thought.org  Public Service Unix
        http://jottings.thought.org   http://transfinite.thought.org
    The 7.31a release of Jottings: http://jottings.thought.org/index.php