MacOS-Linux-shortcuts

Introduction

This repository is for people dealing with two of more among MacOS, Linux/Gnome and Linux/Mate. Linux/KDE or other OSes not supported yet (but should be easy to add, please contribute).

Dealing with different keyboard shortcuts uses a lot of mental energy, so to maintain focus on the task at hand (as opposed to which keys to press) one has to change shortcuts for one or more of these machines. This repository changes some of the shortcuts for Linux, and this README suggests a few additional changes, including ones for Mac OS.

Best results will be achieved if you use identical keyboards across all your machines.

Instructions

1. Install autokey on your Linux box(es) with sudo apt-get install autokey or yum install autokey-gtk or pip. See autokey instructions if you need details.

2. Fork this repository (optional but recommended)

3. Clone your fork (or this repository, if you did not fork)

4. Point autokey to the directory add-MacOS-shortcuts-to-Linux, e.g. by putting a hard or symbolic link to it in ~/.config/autokey/data/

5. (optional) Point autokey to the directory remove-Linux-shortcuts/, as above. This will make sure the old shortcuts (e.g. CTRL-C in text editors) do not work anymore, so you can not inadvertently use them and be stuck in the rut.

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Additional shortcuts

Unrelated to this repository, but related with having sane shortcuts...

On the Mac

1. Install iterm2 and set the shortcuts for "move one word" as described here. You will also need the "move to begin/end of line" and the corresponding "select" to work as in the other apps. Unfortunately this requires manual configuration. If you use the regular terminal application, you will also need to change its shortcuts. In fact (like on Linux) there are some differences between terminal and non-terminal shortcuts, not sure why anybody thought that was a good idea...

On Linux

2. Configure your Virtual Desktop switcher to use CTRL-arrows as Spaces do on the Mac (this will break the move-by-one-word, but that is fixed by autokey with the scripts in this repository). Also, arrange your Virtual Desktops on a single line, as Space do on the Mac, and set them to the same number.

3. Configure the shortcut to lock the screen from CTRL-L to CTRL-CMD-q.

On Mate you can do the last two items by opening the Control Center and selecting Keyboard Shortcuts.

On Gnome, proceed as described here

Further documentation

See Autokey documentation

Problems, questions or suggestions?

Please submit an issue and I will be happy to respond!

Do also submit Pull Requests: Pull Requests are very welcome to improve anything, especially wrong or incomplete shortcuts, including ones for Linux/KDE or other OSes.