Comment by kerblang
14 hours ago
Not guaranteed but easy, because Windows has mnemonics, where you can associate arbitrarily nested menus with actions, and each menu can have its own mnemonic key, so that you press ALT, then, say, "k", then, maybe "m" and so on, following along with the menus as they drop down.
This way it becomes easy to memorize key sequences; start by navigating with arrow keys, then eventually speed up as you memorize each menu item's mnemonic key, and if you ever forget, just look at the menu.
It was the keyboard-friendliest idea ever, without requiring any sort of terminal. I'd even say friendlier than MacOS (heresy!!) or, yes, VIM (burn the witch!!!)
Even if you didn't have mnemonics, you could use tab, arrow keys and alt if needed, to navigate, and space to "click" buttons and such.
So even if the developer forgot to configure mnemonics, which was as easy as prefixing a letter with ampersand, you could navigate by keyboard. Sometimes tedious but beats not being able.
> Not guaranteed but easy, because Windows has mnemonics, where you can associate arbitrarily nested menus with actions, and each menu can have its own mnemonic key, so that you press ALT, then, say, "k", then, maybe "m" and so on, following along with the menus as they drop down.
> I'd even say friendlier than MacOS (heresy!!)
Honestly, I disagree. If you've used macOS for a length of time, you might be aware of the universal menu search system using (cmd+? i.e. cmd+shift+/). Hit that, type the menu item name, and simply hit return to activate it. Doesn't get simpler than that. The alt+ system always feels very janky to me on Windows because on many apps, hitting Alt relayouts the entire app sometimes to show the menu bar on top.
> cmd+? i.e. cmd+shift+/ (...) Doesn't get simpler than that.
That's a very two-handed ableist view. Imagine having lost your arm and being told hitting three keys on opposite ends of the keyboard is simple.
I'm joking, but only about the calling you ableist and the emotional response parts. The situation does really occur. Keyboards aren't always the most accessible option.
(Hotkeys reveal mental limitations in myself. I can rarely remember them. I know a ton, but I've forgotten so many more. On MacOS in particular, when multiple modifiers are involved. Can never remember if it's cmd-shift, cmd-option, option-shift, cmd-ctrl, cmd-fn, or whatever.)
Usually though, the menu bar only appears on key release, not on holding it down, as part of pressing the ALT+something shortcut.