From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
I think that's all of them.
Meta+T opens a terminal about once every 5 minutes on my machine.
It opens my programs menu (or start menu to use the Windows vernacular). It's still incredibly useful for me to have it that way
The "Windows" key is just called "Meta" (Edit: or more commonly "Super") key in Linux. It's used for hotkeys, especially stuff that has to do with window management. I also set a simple press on it without other keys, which would open up "krunner" (to search or run apps).
KDE mostly calls it Meta, GNOME calls it "Super".
Only GNOME thinks windows is super...
It's for window management related hotkeys. Obviously. All about windows. With a lowercase "w".
To open the App Menu, and for a mod key, same as in Windows
a bunch of shortcuts
etc.
almost niri
Familiar, I see you are a person of tiling-culture as well.
I map it to the panel menu that most DEs still include. Unless you're Gnome, in which case you may as well use a joy stick to navigate that GUI.
The default for Gnome. It's a really useful app switcher.
Came here to say this. Basically, the same way it's used in Windows. I hit the key, type a few characters and I launch the app I seek.
Exactly. I love Gnome for this.
meta and ctrl switched, because if there’s something apple did right it’s using the thumb as modifier key for copy/paste/etc instead of pinkie finger which is far FAR less able to deal with repeat strain
but i also type programmers dvorak because i got pretty horrible wrist pain at one point so anything to stop me damaging my wrists :p
I don't have one. If I did, I want change the keycap.
Now... it's called a meta key https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_key ... and I use it exactly as one would on Windows, e.g. Meta-e starts the file explorer ... but I added my shortcuts too e.g. :
and I have quite a others I can't recall right now.
Its the super key, the meta key is now Alt IIRC
Not according to Wikipedia (linked to initially already) nor KDE Plasma which I'm using :
As far as I am aware, the "Windows" key is generally mapped as the Super key, not he Meta key.
My bad then, as I mentioned before unfortunately I have no such keyboard available anymore.
No problem, though I must admit I'm curious about your keyboard as it is quite uncommon to not have one. Are you using an older keyboard that lacks one or one of the "winkeyless" enthusiast mechanical keyboards or maybe a really small form factor keyboard?
one of the “winkeyless” enthusiast mechanical keyboards...
That's me, in fact you can see my keymap at https://github.com/Utopiah/zmk-config-zen-2/blob/main/config/corneish_zen.keymap#L27 for my Corne-ish Zen 3x6
It's my Super key. It's used for like everything in my DE (Hyprland).
It opens up anyrun.
No differently than it's used in Windows, plus a few more key-chords that utilize it. That's the default in GNOME and KDE at least, and probably other DEs as well.
I'm more interested in what people do with that strange menu key sitting next to my touch-starved right-CTRL. I know it's for pulling up the context menu, but I have literally never used it for any reason. When I'm 100% keyboard, I'm probably in a terminal and it won't do anything any way.
The menu key is a convenient place to put the compose key.
I don't have one. In its place I have a meta key with a diamond design on the keycap. Why would I need a "Windows" key if I haven't used Windows in over a decade?
I use it as a modifier key for all of the shortcuts I create since nothing uses it by default.
I used to have bunch of key maps, now it's just: tap it to pull up the start menu and type software I want to open, and meta + space to change language input on my keyboard.
I guess pretty much it.
Bazzite KDE default seems fine for me.
Same as I do on Windows. When I want to open an application I press it and type in the name. For example: Windows, C, M, D, Enter (I type CMD even on Linux).
I use my context menu key as the chording key to control any keyboard macro profiles, so that I can terminate, reload, summon for editing or summon a help file as needed.
I have lots of shortcuts bound to it except I never press it because I have the caps lock key mapped to the same keycode and that's easier to press
Switched the cap so I wouldn't have to see that ugly logo… mapped it to the super key for Hyprland
I did the same on my desktop. I haven't bought a laptop in forever though and idk what to do about them all having an AI key now.
awesome cap!
Super key for DE keybinds or other global hotkeys. Nothing uses it so you don’t have to worry about collisions.
Just general command key for shortcuts?
It is probably my most pressed button because of this, also i changed the keycap to eye of horus.
As yet another modifier key. I use XFCE, so if I bind it to the applications menu, the applications menu will also pop up every time I use any other keybinding involving the Super key, which is less than ideal.
I don't know how controversial this would be, I wouldn't mind making it like the command key in MacOS either.
I use it as the prefix key for my tiling window manager (stumpwm), and have mapped it to the "Super" X11 modifier for Emacs.
(Also, I have mapped CapsLock to the Hyper modifier, which I mostly use for user-defined commands. Not as powerful as the original space cadet keyboard, but not bad!).
BTW, one thing that is great about StumpWM is that you can define commands to script actions on GUI applications. For Example, if you are in a Firefox window, you can script Ctrl-t-B (or perhaps Hyper-B) to go to the adress bar, copy the URL, then call xsel to append the content of the buffer to a file which is called ~/bookmarks.txt, and finally open your preferred editor to add a comment.
I always just remapped it to the super button, and most applications actually automatically map it to the super button.
modifier for window manager nav and general OS controls like wofi/rofi