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Barbabosco / goku

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What is this for?

This is a configuration file for GokuRakuJoudo which in turn generates a Karabiner profile.

With sequences and squeezing up to 4 events out of a single key, it enables you to limit the number of times you need to twist your hands or are forced to leave the home row. Sequence layers transform chords like Cmd+Key, Shift+Key, Ctrl+Key into sequences of pressing two keys. For example, instead of pressing Cmd+S to save a file, you can press Cmd quickly followed by S and get the same behavior. Cmd still retains its original behavior and can be used for any Cmd+Key combo.

WARNING: Some things rely upon the fact that the Colemak layout (and its corresponding layer) is used. As such, the semicolon key on Colemak (where P is placed on QWERTY) is unmapped in the default layout and is instead used as a "power key" and a trigger for the power layer. This key is then mapped per-app: toggle reader mode in Safari, switch between editor and terminal in VSCode or send the tmux prefix in Kitty, the fast, lightweight, terminal emulator.

What are Karabiner and GokuRakuJoudo?

Karabiner is a powerful and stable keyboard customizer for macOS. Goku is a tool to let you manage your Karabiner configuration with ease, since Karabiner uses JSON for its very verbose, complex config file, while Goku uses the "optimized for typing" edn format.

Background

The idea of the sequence layers was inspired by Xah Lee's article on banning the Shift key, thus avoiding combos of multiple key presses (chording) as much as possible. Triggering some things on double-press and hold or on double-press and release, you can get 4 events on a single key such as command, caps lock and others. Some of the combos defined are specific to my 60% Velocifire M2 keyboard, making it a lot more usable without having to resort to chording for most of the right-side modifiers which overlap with arrows by default.

Functional Summary

Sequence Layers

  • symbols (type "LShift followed by Key" to get symbols like !, *, parens, etc)
  • shifted (type "RShift followed by Key" to get capital letter for Key)
  • emoji (while in the shifted layer, type LShift then various letters to get emojis)
  • ctrl (type "LCtrl followed by Key" to get LCtrl+Key)
  • command (type "LCmd followed by Key" to get LCmd+Key)

App-Specific Layers

  • kitty (customizations for Kitty, the fast, lightweight, terminal emulator)
  • vscode (customizations for Visual Studio Code)
  • safari (customizations for Safari)

Chording Layers

  • extend (type CapsLock and hold to activate, quick release for Esc)
  • power (a second extend layer, application specific. hold Colemak semicolon to activate, quickly release to just press the power key)
  • apps (press and hold A, then quickly follow by various keys to switch to apps)
  • desktop (press and hold F, then quickly follow by various keys to switch to desktop)
  • system (press and hold Fn to activate and rearrange windows or other tasks, quick release to show desktop)
  • mouse (press LCmd twice and hold for mouse movements or press twice and release for LCmd+Tab)

Installation

  1. Install Karabiner-Elements
  2. Create a profile named 'Default' in Karabiner-Elements. (It will generate a karabiner.json file under ~/.config/karabiner/ folder for goku to use.)
  3. Install Goku
  4. Install files from this repo.
# curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kiinoda/goku/master/karabiner.edn > ~/.config/karabiner.edn
# goku

Inspiration

Various parts were adapted from other internet sources, indicated below.

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