Then turn on the desired options and press the apply button: Do this by selecting “Enable keyboard layouts” here: First be sure to allow KDE to control keyboard layouts. In KDE 4.x there’s a “Keyboard Layout” dialog in the Systems settings that allow you to modify the Caps Lock behavior. On the “Typing” tab, find the “Ctrl key position” setting and select “Swap Ctrl and Caps Lock” or “Caps Lock as Ctrl” the latter is also available under “Caps Lock key behavior” as “Make Caps Lock an additional Ctrl”. The “Additional Layout Options” window should appear, and you can navigate to the “Ctrl position” section to place a check mark next to the “Caps Lock as Ctrl” listing.įor others who have a different version of the GNOME Tweak Tool, try using these screenshots to guide you through your process.

In some versions of the tool, you will need to tap on the “Keyboard & Mouse” section in the left navigation pane, and then tap the “Additional Layout Options” button in the “Keyboard & Mouse” main content area. (On Debian, you may be able to use /etc/default/keyboard file for both.) GNOME Desktop Environment Note that separate keyboard mappings are often used for X (graphical sessions) and for virtual consoles. When personal computers went mainstream in the 80’s, Ctrl was moved out of the way, presumably because the target users (office workers) wouldn’t need Ctrl as often as CapsLock.

Thus, it was a convenient and logical choice of key for creating Emacs commands. When Emacs was first written, most keyboards had Ctrl to the left of A, either immediately to the left or with CapsLock in between. Introductionįor some, swapping Control and CapsLock is very important the virtually useless CapsLock is far easier to press than Control, crucial to Emacs yet really awkwardly located. Get used to them all the first word in RepeatedStrainInjury is Repeated. Better to keep the standard layout and press the Ctrl keys on either side of the keyboard with either the tip of your pinky (fan out your fingers and rotate your wrist toward the center of your body), your pinky fingernail (curl it under) or the knuckle at the base of the pinky (open your hand and slam it down). Some users find that this can help to avoid “Emacs pinky” ( RepeatedStrainInjury).īut note that some users find that doing this causes Emacs pinky because you’re extending your left pinky to hit Ctrl all the time. This page explains how to move the Control key.

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