When is the last time you used Alt & Ctrl on the right side of your keyboard?

[C5Allroad]

When playing Arma 2 and Arma 3.

[baldgye]

Use mine fairly often tbh.. opening new windows or when im not using my mouse... it can be easier to use the right ctrl...

[JayG30]

Using Right Ctrl for Ctrl+L is extremely useful for me when browsing. I miss it when I use my HHKB.

Right Alt is probably more important for non-North American folks for AltGr. For me on the other hand, I re-program (or when I can't, registry re-map) it to Caps Lock, and have Caps Lock be Left Ctrl.

i remap right alt to ctrl.
press right 'alt' + l to focus on browser address bar

Ctrl+L to go to the address bar? Alt+D does the same thing (at least in windows).
Added benefit, it does the same thing in a windows explorer window so you only have to remember the one shortcut.


All the shortcuts that everyone uses with the right modifiers, I just use the left modifiers and two hands. I don't find that I'm doing anything that requires those type of shortcuts unless I'm pretty into what I'm doing (Coding, Word, Excel, Photo Editing, etc) and in those cases both my hands are right there anyway because I'm working. Plus, I'm left handed and using my right hand for those tasks feels completely unnatural. I'd prefer if every keyboard removed them and stuck dedicated arrow keys there. I'd actually use those.

I know of one program that I use that by defaults uses the Right Ctrl, VirtualBox. It uses it to exit from the auto capture keyboard/mouse. However, you can change it in the preferences. Out of pure laziness I haven't changed it and every time I have to exit from VirtualBox back to my Desktop it takes me like 15 seconds to think about what I'm about to do and it feels "yucky" doing it.

[stancato9]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

[JayG30]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Why not just use the left Ctrl key? Will the purest come beat me up, because I do it all the time. Left pinky on Ctrl and whatever finger I want on z/x/c/v.
I don't think there is anything that says what you are "suppose" to do. They both accomplish the same task because, well, they're the same key.

[rowdy]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Technically if touch typing you would press right Ctrl with your right pinky and C with left index finger.

Although I just tried, and right Ctrl is a little too far away to comfortably reach without leaving the home keys.

[stancato9]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Technically if touch typing you would press right Ctrl with your right pinky and C with left index finger.

Although I just tried, and right Ctrl is a little too far away to comfortably reach without leaving the home keys.

Yeah, I only learned to touch type within the last 2 months. I figured that was the proper way so I have been trying to do it like that. It feels better when you just use your left hand because of the significant difference in distance between the ctrl and home row with each hand.

[taylordcraig]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Technically if touch typing you would press right Ctrl with your right pinky and C with left index finger.

Although I just tried, and right Ctrl is a little too far away to comfortably reach without leaving the home keys.

^+post below that one

Right control is MILES away from my pinky. [I'm training to be a better touch typist.]
In every situation it's faster and much more comfortable for me to use my left ctrl key.
Am I a failure?

[iri]

my left control is right to the left of my left pinky, as it's mapped to caps lock.
my right control is right below my right pinky, as it's mapped to right winkey.

[rowdy]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Technically if touch typing you would press right Ctrl with your right pinky and C with left index finger.

Although I just tried, and right Ctrl is a little too far away to comfortably reach without leaving the home keys.

^+post below that one

Right control is MILES away from my pinky. [I'm training to be a better touch typist.]
In every situation it's faster and much more comfortable for me to use my left ctrl key.
Am I a failure?

Nope.  I have fairly large hands.  Moving my right index finger from J to K and I can just about hit Ctrl with my right pinky.  But I don't touch type much.

my left control is right to the left of my left pinky, as it's mapped to caps lock.
my right control is right below my right pinky, as it's mapped to right winkey.

On the keyboard I'm using now, there is one Ctrl where Caps Lock would be on a conventional layout.

This HHKB roxors

[kolonelkadat]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Except if im using Ctrl+C/x/v my right hand is on my mouse.

Granted since I use dvorak, i use my left hand to do Right CTRL+C/V since those two are a hell of a stretch if you try to use left Ctrl. (dvorak C is where QWERTY I is Dvorak V is QWERTY comma or whatever next no shift is)

thank god for macro keys.

[davkol]

Are you not supposed to use the right control when the second key in the combo you hit is with your left hand?

For example Ctrl+C.

Why not just use the left Ctrl key? Will the purest come beat me up, because I do it all the time. Left pinky on Ctrl and whatever finger I want on z/x/c/v.
I don't think there is anything that says what you are "suppose" to do. They both accomplish the same task because, well, they're the same key.

Pinkie strain. Been there, done that. Now I press Ctrl with my palm or try to use both.

[Candyflip]

Only when one handed for some reason

[iri]

it confuses me a bit that so many people here don't put their left control to where it should be.

[TLSC.wipeOut]

Ctrl + 0 or 9 when playing sc2
or when i ctrl alt del

[esoomenona]

Yep, I just remapped Right Alt to Ctrl on my HHKB, and now it will see more use.

[JayG30]

Pinkie strain. Been there, done that. Now I press Ctrl with my palm or try to use both.

Heard that argument before and I feel it's a lame reason. People must have very weak pinkies. I've been using my left pinky for everything for over 20 years, never a single moment of "strain". Certainly no more then any of my other fingers. It's not like I'm constantly hitting CTRL or ALT anyway. My left pinky gets a lot of use for Left Shift. If people honestly complain about this I feel they should be forced to go back to writing everything with pen and paper and see how much "strain" they endure. Just my opinion.

The other arguments I've read is that it takes them off home row, which I don't get either. I'm not the fastest typist in the world but I can consistently type 100WPM on a crappy laptop keyboard with my "non conventional" style.

[davkol]

Pinkie strain. Been there, done that. Now I press Ctrl with my palm or try to use both.

Heard that argument before and I feel it's a lame reason. People must have very weak pinkies. I've been using my left pinky for everything for over 20 years, never a single moment of "strain". Certainly no more then any of my other fingers. It's not like I'm constantly hitting CTRL or ALT anyway. My left pinky gets a lot of use for Left Shift. If people honestly complain about this I feel they should be forced to go back to writing everything with pen and paper and see how much "strain" they endure. Just my opinion.

The other arguments I've read is that it takes them off home row, which I don't get either. I'm not the fastest typist in the world but I can consistently type 100WPM on a crappy laptop keyboard with my "non conventional" style.

Celebrity Programers with RSI

[esoomenona]

Replace Caps Lock with Control. Places it on home row and reduces pinkie strain...

[davkol]

Replace Caps Lock with Control. Places it on home row and reduces pinkie strain...

Still pressed by pinkie though. And asymmetrical. And the key can't be used for backspace or escape then.

On the other hand, it's wonderful for RTS gaming on "standard" physical layout. Reassigning groups in SC or AoE2 works like a charm.

[paicrai]

It finally happened! I used Ctrl on the right side of my keyboard playing Arkham Origins, because Warner Brothers or whatever can't make their ****ing menus correctly.

[fohat.digs]

I have Control+Alt+W as my shortcut to Word, so I often press them and do "W" with the left.

[SUPER432]

I almost never do. Maybe sometimes ctrl+arrow keys to skip around words. But I do that equally with the left ctrl as well.

On a related note - who hits the spacebar with both their left and right thumbs?

[Jack]

I've never done that. Always the right thumb. It seems like it might have been a useful habit to pick up but now I don't think I could change it to save my life. Besides, when I try to use both thumbs, I can't really feel any difference in which would be the best one to use.

[paicrai]

unrelated stuff

What sort of keyboard, layout and technique did you use to get 255wpm!? Some sort of hkbhaaulmkj x76m with a asjoid layout and a line of cocaine? Can you post a video or something, because I'l love to have a look at that typing.

[Jack]

Nah, I'm just screwing around. Edited the image URL until I found the highest score they have a premade image for. It's a joke to have in my sig for a while plus maybe some demonstration that these aren't always to be trusted. It links to my actual results there, though.

[dustinhxc]

I realized I always use control on the right in photoshop, so I had to remap the right alt to control on my hhkb!

[paicrai]

Nah, I'm just screwing around. Edited the image URL until I found the highest score they have a premade image for. It's a joke to have in my sig for a while plus maybe some demonstration that these aren't always to be trusted. It links to my actual results there, though.

omg che3tid z0mgs

You still have a high WPM, though.

[SUPER432]

I've never done that. Always the right thumb. It seems like it might have been a useful habit to pick up but now I don't think I could change it to save my life. Besides, when I try to use both thumbs, I can't really feel any difference in which would be the best one to use.

It's always the left thumb for me. And for the life of me, I also wouldn't be able to change.

[SUPER432]

I think if I could hit ctrl/alt/other function keys with my left thumb without moving off the home row, I could see them being more useful. It's honestly just an awkward reach to hit the right alt/ctrl for me personally. I think some of the Japanese keyboard layouts have a good idea idea in that you don't need a large spacebar.