Meta Mac

Enables a Mac OS-like shortcut key experience on Linux.

For an overview of the various key remapping solutions, and Mac-to-Linux switcher options, see my article Key Remapping in Linux - 2021 Edition

Works in X & Wayland, and has awareness of which app is focused so that app-specific key combinations can be sent.

Dependencies

• libudev
• keyd 2.2+

Installation

1. Install keyd

sudo apt install libudev-dev
git clone https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd.git
cd keyd && make && sudo make install

2. Run install script

./install.sh

3. Enable keyd as a systemd service

sudo systemctl enable --now keyd

Done!

Which Shortcut Keys?

• For cut/copy/paste key combos, translate to universal clipboard keys (works in terminal as well as other apps):

  • Cut: Cmd-X -> Ctrl-X
  • Copy: Cmd-C -> Ctrl-C (or Ctrl-Shift-C in Gnome Terminal)
  • Paste: Cmd-V -> Ctrl-V (or Ctrl-Shift-V in Gnome Terminal)

• Window switching:

  • Switch: Cmd-Tab -> Meta-Tab
  • Switch backwards: (when in App Switch mode): Cmd-` => Shift-Meta-Tab
  • Switch between windows of same app: Cmd-`
  • Open the Launcher: Cmd-Space

• Switch directly to an open tab, e.g. Firefox or VS Code:

  • Cmd-1 -> Alt-1
  • Cmd-2 -> Alt-2
  • ... etc.

• The remaining Cmd-* key combos are translated to Ctrl-*, e.g.

  • Close Window: Cmd-W -> Ctrl-W (or Ctrl-Shift-W in Gnome Terminal)
  • New Tab: Cmd-T -> Ctrl-T (or Ctrl-Shift-T in Gnome Terminal)
  • Bold: Cmd-B -> Ctrl-B
  • Italics: Cmd-I -> Ctrl-I
  • etc.

• Mouse clicks:

  • Command-Click -> Ctrl-Click

Why?

The biggest discomfort I have with Linux shortcut keys is the mismatch between the terminal's idea of copy-paste (Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V) and everything else in Linux (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V). And Linux isn't alone--Windows, too, has a weird relationship with copy/paste when it comes to the command shell. Only on the Mac have I experienced the sensible default that Command-C will copy to the clipboard, and Command-V will paste, regardless of which app is running.

But why stop there? If you have experience with Mac OS and have the ability to make customizations in Linux (and boy, do you!) then why not make switching to Linux as comfortable as possible?

On a personal note, I've lived and worked on a Mac for the past 15 years, and while I still admire Apple's technical and design capability, our values have slowly been drifting apart over the years. Apple is no longer the underdog, and it's clear that it doesn't need to design for the values or culture of software developers any more.

What hardware/Linux distro do you use?

I'm very excited to joining the free culture movement once again via my first frame.work laptop and Pop!_OS. I've written Meta Mac and collaborated on the keyd project in the hope that it will ease the transition for others along this path as well.

Thanks

Thanks to Raheman Vaiya of keyd for a great library and for a lot of help.