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Swapping the Control and Caps Lock keys

Written on 2020-05-25

The Control key is often used, the Caps Lock key is not. Therefore, it makes sense to swap them. On X11 systems, it is as simple as running setxkbmap -option ctrl:swapcaps.

This reduces the strain put on the left pinky and makes control + alt + key keybindings viable as the left hand simply has to slide to the left for the thumb and pinky to be in the right position.

Moreover, this makes hitting <C-[> more comfortable than <Esc> to switch to Normal Mode in Vim. Alternatively, using a program like xcape enables using the Caps Lock key as both Escape or Control, depending on whether it is used as a single key or modifier.