I saw something yesterday to the effect that you can have your cake (Control) and eat it (ESC) too. The Caps Lock key can be set so that if it is pressed and released alone, it sends Escape, but if you use it as a modifier, Ctrl-A, say, then it's Control. I think that's clever, but my opinion might change after I try it.
I'm in college, and every time I turn an exercise in the assistant takes my keyboard, tries to navigate Vim with my Dvorak setup and stares blankly as something completly different than what they expected happened.
I already have contextual buttons. I remap keys to what I want, that's one of the main benefits of Vim's multi modal system. I don't need an expensive gimmick to do so.
Vim has contextual physical button remapping, and it's a positive thing.
Apple adds a hardware + software feature to provide a context-sensitive multi-touch region allowing for multiple types of physical input & visual feedback in any application, and it's a gimmick?
It's a gimmick because this is already possible, even without yet another piece of glass to pay for and repair and that comes at the cost of physical keys It looks flashy and futuristic and cool, but it adds no value that could not be gained elsewhere, cheaper, with greater utility.
I'm also not only talking about vim here. Nearly any PC game in the past two decades or more allows key rebinding. Many even allow macros. Most GUI IDEs offer the same. This isn't new.
Lastly, you seem to want to characterize me as "pissing and moaning". Personal attacks won't get you anywhere with me.
Oh right, silly me. I forgot that traditional individual physical keys can turn into sliders/scrubbers, display waveforms, show scrollable image previews contextually.
> Nearly any PC game in the past two decades or more allows key rebinding.
Right, I forgot that mapping X to Up is the same as showing a colour picker slider when you need to choose a colour.
They can't, but there's a big display in front of me that can show these things and I can see it without looking down. And yes, mapping game controls can be as simple as you describe or extremely complex, especially if you involve software outside the game such as the drivers for most gaming boards.
You seem to be far too hostile for a conversation about a piece of glass on a computer. You should take a break.