mcc
I wonder what it would be like to design a phone keyboard specifically to be used with vim
Mar 15 at 7:18pmTusky
Show thread4am โงMar 15
@mcc why do you want a keyboard with just W and Q
Show threadmccMar 15
@a2_4am so I can quit vi
Show threadMx. Aria StewartMar 15
@mcc Yes! Also, what does modal editing look like with a touchscreen as an input device?
Show threadmccMar 15
@aredridel phone keyboards are already modal
Show threadMx. Aria StewartMar 15
@mcc Quite. But mostly we're stuffing them into QWERTY-shaped boxes, and purely as input, not as _editing_ beyond cursor moving and backspace.
Show threadrk: itโ€™s hyphen-minus actuallyMar 15

@mcc

I am reminded that vi users made a trillion-dollar company restore the escape key to their laptops after removing it for the Touch Bar.

Show threadSnoopJMar 15

@rk @mcc this is still my biggest bugbear when I want to use vim from mobile, the muscle memory for ESC is hard to break, but one or another thing in my mobile stack treats ESC on my (hardware) keyboard as "home button", rendering vim pretty useless.

I have some mapping in my .vimrc for "I need ESC to mode-shift but I can't actually use it" but I could not tell you what it is.

I agree with what was expressed elsewhere in the thread that "keyboard" may be a limiting abstraction for a mobile device. It could be interesting to mode-shift with gestures, for instance. (OTOH, keyboards are still Pretty Goddamned Good, so)

Show threadrk: itโ€™s hyphen-minus actuallyMar 15

@SnoopJ @mcc

So youโ€™re telling me we need a phone with a single physical escape key.

Show threadjosh g.Mar 15
@mcc
or emacs
*ducks*
Show threadmccMar 15
@joshg that sounds easier
Show threadaburka ๐ŸซฃMar 15
@mcc @joshg huh, are there any phone keyboards that actually do combos? with multitouch you could but I can't recall seeing it
Show threadjosh g.Mar 15
@aburka
map ctrl, alt to volume buttons, let's go
@mcc
Show threaded(1) conferenceMar 16

@joshg @mcc

Still not much easier to press escape, meta, alt, or control.

On the other hand, ed(1) works quite cromulently on a phone with a default on-screen keyboard.

Show threadAriaMar 15
@mcc a usable escape key ๐Ÿคค
Show threadfluffy ๐Ÿ’œMar 15
@mcc The one in Termius (iOS) is pretty well suited to it, especially if you add : to the quick-access strip.
Show threadnone gender with left politicsMar 15
@fluffy @mcc I can second this. I use it fairly frequently
Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasMar 15

@mcc the Touch Pro 2's keyboard was pretty excellent. https://m.gsmarena.com/htc_touch_pro2-pictures-2690.php

With the adjustable tilt, I haven't seen any other phone get this right.

HTC Touch Pro2 pictures, official photos

HTC Touch Pro2 Windows Mobile smartphone gallery - high-resolution pictures, official photos

Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasMar 15
@mcc but if you're just talking about onscreen keyboards, Hacker Keyboard is it.
Show threadChris BohnMar 15

@hyc @mcc As someone who's used Happy Hacking Keyboards for mumblety-mumble years, I get where you're coming from on that on-screen keyboard.

But if I were designing an on-screen keyboard to be optimized for vi, the `:` character would not require pressing the Shift key or a long-press.

Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasMar 15
@DocBohn @mcc I'm surprised no one has done a keyboard with configurable keys yet.
Show threadOrb 2069Mar 15
@mcc
Tired - swapping ctrl & caps lock
Wired - swapping esc & caps lock
Show threadmccMar 15
@Orb2069 phone keyboards typically have neither particularly
Show threadOrb 2069Mar 15
@mcc Android 15 has this when you double tap the shift key?
Show threadchris martensMar 15
@mcc lowkey this might be a path forward in the "editing text (after entering it) on a phone is a completely miserable user experience" problem
Show threadbobMar 15
@mcc have you seen the nine square grid system that psp homebrew uses
Show threadmccMar 15
@bob no :O
Show threadbobMar 15
@mcc https://github.com/PSP-Archive/DanzeffOSLib if you use both thumbs and the shoulder buttons you can input any key with no more than two actions and without having to hunt for anything. seems like a natural fit for mode-based editing
Show threadurigMar 15
@mcc
Show threadRobert [KJ5ELX] Mar 15

@urig @mcc

that's a special implant for using EMACS.

Show threadOblomovMar 16
@urig @mcc those look more like emacs hands
Show threadร–lbaumMar 18
@urig I immediately recognised that from the King of My Castle music video.
@mcc
Show threadraphael-proustMar 15
@mcc i have wondered that too
Show threaddoseijin // ๐ŒŠ๐Œ€๐Œ๐Œ„๐Œ”  Mar 15
@mcc I used to run this thing a couple of years ago https://f-droid.org/packages/inc.flide.vi8 and although I don't really think it's much related to vim at all it's pretty cool looking
8Vim Keyboard | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

A small screen keyboard inspired by VIM and 8Pen

Show threadMatt PanaroMar 15
@mcc would the modal editing functionality of vim be particularly effective/efficient on a phone keyboard? (the idea of trying to use Emacs on a phone keyboad [no matter how many modifiers it provides] fills me with horror ๐Ÿ˜›)
Show threadSpindley Q FrogMar 16
@mcc I often think about what it would be like to design a phone keyboard that could actually be used for text editing in general
Show threadtambourinemanMar 16

@mcc
inoremap jj <Esc>

Helps. Typing the column character is indeed annoying on mobile