Re: Keyboard mapping of Option and Command

[address@hidden]

Hi,

> Am 05.06.2024 um 18:33 schrieb Riccardo Mottola <riccardo.mottola@libero.it>:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Riccardo Mottola wrote:
>> what is the default mapping for Option and Command on GNUstep when running 
>> on X11?
> 
> I reply to myself and try to stir up the discussion.
> Standard we map both option and command to alt. This is quite convenient for 
> menus shortcuts for example, but is not for mouse operations.
> Also not all keyboards have extra keys, like the windows key to mimic command.
> 
> Let me exemplify.
> 
> Apple's spec say:
> Control: Link
> Option: Copy
> Command: Generic
> 
> So if Option = Alt and Command = Alt, there is no way to distinguish Copy 
> from Generic during drag operations.
> 
> GWorkspace contains a lot of "workaround" code to be able to Move and Copy.. 
> essentially, Move operation is never explicitly gotten from the mask, but 
> inferred if it is "not Copy"... and with some dirty tricks apparently it 
> mostly worked, but not always. Who knows what other applications would do.
> 
> I think the code should be "right" and check for Move, Copy, Link... and 
> whatever else and tricks should be somehow standard in gui
> 
> I am rewriting GWorkspace so that it works correctly, testing with having 3 
> mapped modifiers. You can test & check in the drag_debug branch:
> https://github.com/gnustep/apps-gworkspace/tree/drag_debug
> 
> 
> I think we should have a more sensible setup in gui. Proposals to discuss 
> would be:
> 1) map to different keys, so to have 3 keys. E.g. Alt, Shift, Ctrl, or 
> LeftAlt, RightAlt, Ctrl.... Most keyboards have two Alts, but not all (e.g. 
> small laptops, MacBooks and PowerBooks)
> 2) try to have a "modifier" for either option or command, e.g. Alt-Shift
> 3) keep the defaults we have, but in case of drag operations prioritize Copy 
> over Generic if the modifiers are the same
> 
> The changes should allow users with more keys to be able to fully map things.
> 
> Riccardo
> 

I am not a Linux-User (so I don’t know the common use-patterns on Linux) but I 
think, this should be configurable like it is on the Mac:

kind regards,

        Lars