Re: Alt Mouse Modifier (Was: Adaptive mode)

[Alexey Rusakov <ktirf users sf net>]

Shaun McCance wrote:
> On Tue, 2006-02-07 at 10:36 +1300, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
>   
> > On 7 Feb, 2006, at 5:10 AM, karderio wrote:
> >     
> > > On Tue, 2005-12-27 at 21:42 +0100, Reinout van Schouwen wrote:
> > >       
> > > > If it is possible what you suggest, then that would make it easier to
> > > > "rubberband"-select items in the list view, like you can in the icon 
> > > > view. Dragging the mouse over columns other than icon/filename would 
> > > > not affect the item under the mouse cursor directly, but rather 
> > > > affect the selection.
> > > >         
> > > "Rubberbanding" in the list view would be handy, how about activating
> > > "rubberbanding" if the shift key is held down (presuming that key is 
> > > not in use) ?
> > > ...
> > >       
> > As you can see by trying it, Shift is already used for contiguous 
> > selection, Ctrl is used for non-contiguous selection, and Alt is 
> > (unfortunately) used to move the window. But a modifier key wouldn't be 
> > necessary if the behavior described above was implemented.
> >     
>
> Just a me-too on how unfortunate the Alt modifier
> thing for window moving is.  I know of at least
> one major piece of third-party software that uses
> Alt as a modifier for certain mouse operations,
> and it's been doing so since long before Gnome
> stole it for window movement.
>
> I always switch it to Super, but I never use it.
> There doesn't seem to be a "just turn this off,
> please" check box.
>   
I always switch to Super, too, and use it very frequently. And I, too, 
use Alt-clicking in some applications. The problem is that some 
keyboards have no Super, or its equivalent.

Concerning files selection and activating - personally, I think that 
activation by clicking on the name, and selection by clicking somewhere 
else would be quite convenient. Using another modifier to switch to 
selection pseudo-mode looks by no means obvious to an end user.

--
 Alexey "Ktirf" Rusakov