Tool 1: AutoHotKey

This thing is awesome. Among other things, it lets you rebind any key to any "command", whether that is another key, a keyboard shortcut, whatever. You can open apps, run scripts, move the cursor...

Here is a list of the keyboard modifications I have enactted through code.

Note that except for a couple of keys (which are admittedly pretty useless already), no key functionality is really "Overwritten". the h key still types h, it's just that Alt-H now types "()", which is indespencible for coding!

• I have rebound the Caps Lock Key to alt. This is the backbone of the whole operation.
• The Left Alt is now Control, The Right Alt is now the Windows key. I swear it's not as confusing as it sounds.
• THE BEST FEATURE: keys IJKL are turned into the arrow keys when Alt (which is Caps Lock now, remember!) is held down. Native commands like the holding down the control key to move one word at a time are also hardcoded in behaviour.
• Keys U and O can now function as "home" and "end" keys. You know, the keys that no one uses but are actually really, REALLY useful? Between this and the arrow keys sitting in the natural QWERTY resting position, this "Ubernav" as I like to call it, is by itself enough of an incentive to use AutoHotKey.
• I have a separate script which polls in the background to tell me what modifier keys i'm holding down. Good for checking if there's any ghost keys.
• Miscellaneous: F1 is now Control-F. I don't think I have ever intentionally used F1 in any program, but I use Control-F all the time. Favourite rebind.
• Alt-7 types "*10^", which is great for Desmos, an amazing web-based graphics calculator.
• I have a 100% Keyboard, so I made PgDn send a Backspace, PgUp send the exponent symbol (^) etc. This means when I use the numpad I can fix mistakes without having to move my hand.
• Alt-F3 is now delete. This just moves
• Alt-A is Escape. This is to be used if you press Alt without another modifier key. Unfortunately, this brings up a context menu on most applications, which you have likely seen by pressing alt by accident (literally no-one uses alt except for alt-F4, which I have rebound anyway.)
• Alt-W is now Alt-F4. This sounds stupid, you'd think you'd knock it and close a program by accident all the time. Not True! You spend a great deal of time on the computer either minimising, closing or opening menus, which can be achieved with Win-D, Alt-F4, and Win-{Numbers 0-9} or Win-E respectively. If you take nothing else away, use these commands, especially with my AutoHotKey setup
• I am experimenting with turning the semicolon key (;) into the Alt key as well. This means I don't have to shift my left hand half the time. It feels weird though!

My confession on AI with AutoHotKey

I'm sorry! I used ChatGPT to "help" me. The scripts I use are about 60-40 me-to-machine, to be honest. There just aren't really much resources on it other than the official documentation. I even went on [dry retches] Reddit, to see if they could help me with a polling issue I was having. They could not. Neither could AI, sort of. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally got the correct series of specific "settings" correct that there is rarely issues.

AutoHotKey is actually too niche of a coding language for AI to be particularlly good at it. Now that I'm decent enough to maintain my own simple scripts, I just use the V2 documentation and that's more than enough.

Maybe I should make a video or something as a guide to new users...

Tool 2: Krita