As a software developer with some wrist pain (skateboarding, tennis, etc), I want to talk about a few key keybindings I use. Keybindings can greatly reduce key stretch and help reduce the overall impact on your wrists.
Here’s the keybinding I have to setup to be efficient on any computer.
Caps-lock -> Ctrl
If you use vim or the terminal frequently in development, then you’ll love this keymapping. Let’s face it, no one really needs the caps-lock key anyways. It’s just fluff. But the awkward placement of Ctrl (a critical key in the terminal) makes the remap valuable.
This keymap is so important, I can’t stress it enough. If I only had one keymapping on any computer, this would be the one. I also use this all the time on Linux/Ubuntu.
- CMD + (1-0) => Space
In Mac OSX - I like to setup my workspace around “Spaces” in Mission Control. I map each of my spaces to an individual program, like iTerm2 or Photoshop for example. I know this general layout by heart, so I can switch through screens from memory.
For me, this is faster than the CMD+Tab workflow. I just don’t really like that my programs align horizontally (visually), and can rearrange order based on usage.
So for this mapping, CMD+1 takes me to screen 1. And CMD+2, screen 2 etc.
- Right Shift => Backspace
If you have a larger keyboard, you might appreciate this mapping. I had been looking for ways to reduce the keystrech for my right wrist (my more sensitive wrist to soreness), and I ended up really liking this mapping. Try it now… Imagine typing right-shift for backspace. It just makes sense.
This mapping is really just about my personal needs. Wanting to be a long term programmer, etc. The first two are crucial for me to be a fast programmer.