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Comment by nine_k | Hacker News Reader

Press Alt+Space to activate? Nobody activate window menus from keyboard any more?

It's because ChatGPT uses the same shortcut and Google is afraid to lose even more market share to it so they now use the same shortcut and the search bar is obviously designed after the ChatGPT desktop program.

I looked up some screenshots of the ChatGPT desktop program, it doesn't look anything like the screenshot in this post unless there's some other search mode that nobody's taken a screenshot of. I think it's more likely that Google copied both the UI look and the shortcut from Apple Spotlight, which you activate with Cmd+Space (Alt+Space on a PC layout keyboard).

The ChatGPT app has two window modes: A full experience that looks like the website, and the "quick input" that looks like this Google Bar, which comes up with aforementioned keyboard shortcut.

Thanks, I found a page on their site that goes over this: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9982051-using-the-chatgp...

I still think that the Google Windows program looks more like Apple Spotlight than the ChatGPT companion window pictured there though.

Many people don't know how to cut and paste via the keyboard. The vast majority aren't even aware of Alt+Space. The only reason I use Alt+Space is to recover windows from off-screen areas.

I'm blind and alt+space is sometimes the best way to access select/copy/paste on the terminal. some other apps that have terrible a11y experience as well, but usually I use it there to closethe app asap.

Is the terminal you're referring to within, outside, or both within and outside a windowing system? How does it work? I'm not able to find an instance where alt+space does anything related to select/copy/paste.

It can be useful to fix window positions when a window gets stuck off-screen:

1. Alt+Space to activate the menu;

2. Down Arrow; Enter to restore the screen (if maximized or minimized);

3. Alt+Space to activate the menu;

4. Down Arrow; Down Arrow; Enter to move the window;

5. Arrow Keys to change the window position.

I think pressing the Windows key + arrow keys is simpler.

Win+arrow does nothing if the window has a fixed size.

Quicker to just do (assuming the window is active/in foreground):

1. Alt+Space+m

2. Arrow keys to move around

I do, every day. It's part of my muscle memory to maximize windows.

It's a little annoying that this Google app steals the alt+space shortcut, but you can remap it.

Since the window menu actions that aren’t terrible with keyboard also have their own direct keyboard shortcuts (move and size are the ones that don’t, but hand positioning windows instead of using snap positions is tedious with keyboard), I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a fairly rare thing.

I was thinking about Maximise, Restore, and Minimise, which I think were Alt+Space {X,R?,N} (haven’t used Windows for a few years), but I suppose Win+Up is now Maximise, and Win+Down Restore and Minimise—but you still need Alt+Space N to minimise from maximised.

win+(down)(down) is more convenient than alt+space, N, IMO.

If you type Win+Down,Down quickly, when you bring the window up again, is it maximised?

I activate trabucco with alt+space. Menus I just use the shortcut of the thing I need to do.

I remapped it to Scroll Lock.

You can also activate by clicking the "G" system tray icon.

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