this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024
58 points (73.8% liked)

Ask Lemmy

26504 readers
1041 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Pretty much in the title, the only time I interact with the windows key in its standard operating condition is getting pissed off that the start menu opened. I use it in other capacities such as taking screen shots and other key commands but I got to wondering if anyone, ever actually uses it to access the start menu.

Also if anyone comes here and posts “dOnT uSe wINdoWs,” you really are cute.

Edit: I am more curious if anyone actually gets utility out of its default behavior (opening the start menu). I am aware that it is used in a number of key commands (although some are new to me).

(page 3) 35 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

With Internet searching disabled, the start menu is decent enough as a quick launcher and so I find myself hitting the Windows key quite often for that purpose.

On Linux there are better launchers that I'm too lazy to set up so still just hit Super and use the Application Launcher to find and run programs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I use it as an additional modifier key, Super. I bind stuff to its modified keys in my window manager, but also emacs intercepts them before the window manager and I have some bindings that do more or less the same thing in both emacs and my window manager. The operating system has no "intentions" for how I am meant to use the Super key but this usage is within what the designers anticipated for certain.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I use it EVERY day at work. I use the Windows key + L to lock my screen when I walk away from my computer. I work in IT and setup new computers for new employees and I access the software from a server that I access through Windows Key + R. I could use GUI clicks to do both things, but this is the absolute quickest.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Hot key Moving a game from monitor to monitor is pretty much impossible otherwise I thought.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Not here. I don't use Windows and so I rebind the Win key (or, Super) for some quick functions.

Win + L to lock the screen
Win + K to blank it
Win + C for my calculator app
Win + T (and Ctrl+Shift+T) for a Terminal
Win + Left/Right arrow to cycle to the previous/next desktop

Bonus fun, I rebind the Right Alt key to a Compose key for typing Latin-1 diacritics in non UTF-8 applications. (Plus, I can't remember the U-codes)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

All the time. For shortcuts and opening programs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

Only if my window has gone missing and I need to winkey + arrow keys it somewhere to get it back.

Other than that, no.

I mean early days, most of us pulled it off or disabled it so we wouldn't hit it by accident while playing FPS games.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I actually use it to open the start menu for a few reasons. Usually I do it to the press tab and the down arrow 5 times then enter twice, why? Because that puts your selector thingy on the sleep option as my keyboard doesn't have a sleep key. The other reason is I can just start typing some program's name and launch it without using my mouse. I don't do it all the time since most programs I need to use the mouse to keep using anyway, but sometimes I just want a calculator or notepad++ and the search function works well enough for those

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

the super key is one of my most used keys.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I use it with the arrow keys fairly often to snap apps to sections of the screen.

Some terrible keyboards put it where alt should be and those should be burned.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The only time I used it is when I wanted to bring up emoji easier without copy and pasting them from a website. Otherwise I prefer to just navigate to whatever I need to open manually because I can't bother remembering all of the shortcuts. Since then I've changed the OS.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, I definitely do. I use it to open start menu and search, as well as using quite a few commands, run, snipping tool, moving and resizing windows, etc.

When win10 is no longer supported we will be making the leap to linux, and I really hope I can get much of this functionality there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I have removed the key cap on my home keyboard. It's still possible to press but you won't accidentally fumble it when you hit ctl or alt.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

In most linux tiling managers it is used with directional keys to nav windows and desktops.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I use a "normal" keyboard with a MacBook. I've rebound LAlt to be CMD and the Win key to be Option (to better mimic the MacBook keyboard). So theoretically I am using the Win key A LOT, just not for the intended usage.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hey buddy, do you want to try some of this GNU/Linux?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

You really are cute.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

I'll use it if alt tab isn't working to get me to another open program. But that's pretty much it.

I also have my most used programs pinned to the task bar. And that bar is vertical, thank you.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago

nope, never. not even on windows boxes

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›