They are often considered to be synonymous with arrow keys, but there is a slight difference; the cursor keys are usually several keys that can be used for the movement of the cursor, like the WASD combination. It doesn’t mean it’s not there. However, the arrow keys are four keys that have arrow markings on them, but are exclusively used for cursor movement in … Go write something awesome! games) the vanilla 5/6/7/8 keys were directly associated with direction control when they had no other purpose, as this meant less complicated keypress detection routines … You’ll have to think, plan and coordinate your fingers in order to get basic things done. You can also combine it with modifiers (Shift/Cmd/Alt/Ctrl). But it’s not that far, is it? Import my config by clicking on this link (it’s the official way to install complex modfications): Side note: if you plan to use Caps as Ctrl, use this link instead. Typewriter didn’t have a cursor, so there were no buttons for it nor was there a good place saved for them. After that, one more step is required. Unfortunately, getting out of local optima is not a question of repetition or “getting better with time”. Cursor keys were those from 5 to 8, and keyboard labelling included left-, down-, up-, and right-arrow labels printed directly above in a colour matching wording on the relevant shift key. Create a file ijkl in your home directory: Open Startup Applications Preferences and put the following in the “Command”: I wish it was all you need to do. Ctrl-V - paste Ctrl-X - cut Ctrl-Z - undo Ctrl-A - select all Ctrl-I - make italic (this is italic) Ctrl-B - make bold (this is bold) Ctrl-U - underline (this is underlined) Ctrl-Right Arrow - move the cursor to the start of the next word Ctrl-Left Arrow - move the cursor to the start of the previous word So we want the benefits of having cursor keys at the center of the keyboard, we want it to work system-wide (versus being limited to a single app), and we definitely don’t want to buy a new keyboard for that. I also create open-source stuff: Fira Code, AnyBar, DataScript and Rum. This is called local optima. How lucky are we to have it? Quite old, but extremely popular amongst programmers, sometimes to the point of fanaticism. If you already know how to do something, and new way comes to your attention, you won’t automatically switch. And IJKL form nice “reverse T” shape that is natural to use. You already know how to type, and that’s the problem. Have you ever wondered if default keyboard layout is optimal for today’s tasks? The last thing to reconfigure is yourself. Not in absolute terms, no. Keyboard geeks know that CapsLock key is special: an absolutely useless key sitting on a home row, almost at the center, super easy to reach. If you’re curious, learning new keyboard or an alternative layout takes about the same amount of time and effort. The mouse itself is fine, it’s just too far away what makes it inconvenient. Even if you type million times a day you’ll still do it the old way, leading to no change. This is what I did: I scripted CapsLock+IJKLto act as cursor keys system-wide. My estimate is that typing/cursor movements are at 30%/70% ratio, at least if you work with text (programming, writing, etc). That makes modern keyboards best optimized for typing too. It’ll feel like having to learn how to walk all over again. And the feature Vim users praise the most is the ability to move the cursor without changing hand position (HJKL keys). Especially the one with an uncommon layout. With your hands in the default position every letter and punctuation are easy to access. Keyboard geeks know that CapsLock key is special: an absolutely useless key sitting on a home row, almost at the center, super easy to reach. Bonus: I also map CapsLock+H to Backspace which I find very handy as well. You’ll need to focus on things that you now get for granted. So we want the benefits of having cursor keys at the center of the keyboard, we want it to work system-wide (versus being limited to a single app), and we definitely don’t want to buy a new keyboard for that. So, on computers cursor keys are put far away from the center. A perfect keyboard would look something like this: There’s actually a precedent to support my claim: a text editor called Vim. TL;DR Remap CapsLock + IJKL to act as cursor keys and teach yourself to use it. If the old habit is not an option, you’ll be forced to learn a new one instead. I have not tried it and can’t confirm if it works. Here I write about programming and UI design Subscribe. But to get there, you have to move your palm, which is quite effortful. For Windows I had success using AutoHotKey (free) with this config: The recepie below was contributed by the reader. Congratulations: you just learned a new habit! Don’t worry: it won’t take long. So on a modern keyboard cursors keys belong in the center, not the letters. Even if the new way is better. If you like what I do and want to get early access to my articles (along with other benefits), you should support me on Patreon. To the point of fanaticism how many cursor control keys are there on the keyboard if default keyboard layout is optimal for today s! 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