Domain expansion shortcut on mac
-
Greetings,
I just installed Vivaldi and have been exploring the settings. I love how it is designed with customization in mind. The huge list of customizable keyboard shortcuts is one impressive feature.
Until ~6 or 7 years ago, I regularly used the domain expansion shortcut in Firefox (Cmd+Enter), until one update suddenly took my shortcut away, forcing Ctrl+Enter instead. As I recall, there was like a 15-years long bug open where the issue was hotly debated, until (as typical of Mozilla) the devs said Ctrl+Enter is now the shortcut, no configuration will be allowed. We have to be like other browsers, we have to be like Windows, it shouldn't matter, you'll get used to it.
The problem is that there are 2 Cmd keys on a mac keyboard, but only 1 Ctrl key. I always used the right Cmd key making it a one-handed shortcut; it's easier for me to do. The change made it into a two-handed key combination. I'm not complaining just to be difficult, but the reality is I just haven't used that shortcut anymore. I have kept missing it for all these years though.
So when I went to configure Vivaldi, my heart leapt when I saw the keyboard shortcuts - you've allowed shortcuts to be set for everything one could imagine! Oh, except for domain expansion. That's Ctrl+Enter -- you'll use it, and you'll like it. Why?
I know this wasn't a decision made specifically to piss me off, but it sure feels like it. Why this one key combination out of the huge list of shortcuts can't be configured? I love Firefox, but I expect Mozilla to be the ones to tell me they're forcing it for my own good, please don't tell me the same!
-
@bnstl It’s not a bad shortcut. Shift-Enter and Alt-Enter are fixed to opening an address either in a new tab or in the same tab, depending on settings. Control is free. Super/Win on Linux/Windows and Command on macOS are left alone. If you want something special few other people would care about, you need to get a little creative and find a way around it. When I was still on macOS I used Karabiner to remap my keyboard and as far as I can recall it was possible to create application specific bindings. Find software that lets you set Ctrl-Enter to Cmd-Enter in Vivaldi is the gist of it. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Alternatively create a feature request and wait for something to happen at some point in the future.
-
@luetage I am definitely familiar with needing workarounds to make things more usable. The thing is, it is clearly part of Vivaldi's philosophy to allow a higher degree of customization, including keyboard shortcuts.
Few developers are intentionally putting out configurations they think are bad, so your first couple of sentences read as part opinion and part restating the problem. Why is it that this one specific keyboard shortcut can't be changed?
Sure, there aren't millions of people asking for the same thing. But there are plenty of strong feelings about it besides mine, as evidenced here (the bug where it was discussed for 15 years is linked there as well). The answer there was more or less "get used to it" and the rationale for the change was largely because that's what Chrome and Safari do.
The fact is that macOS depends heavily on the Cmd key and the keyboard layout reflects this; this at least isn't my niche opinion. So forcing users into an awkward change and telling them to get used to it reads as closed-minded and stubborn, tbh. Nobody is asking for the default shortcut to be changed, but is it really such a big ask to allow a config?
Lastly, as you can see this was my first post after installing Vivaldi, sharing my excitement and then disappointment. I don't think your response was overly rude, but it was dismissive of the issue I raised and that is now my first impression of the whole project. Why bother switching from Firefox if user feedback is treated as 'wrong' when it doesn't match the developers' decisions, just as it is at Mozilla?
