[throwaway_pdp09]

Let's discuss that. Emacs is so flexible it should be possible to do anything. Binding cut/copy/paste functionality to the conventional keys would be trivial. A few rebound key bindings, not a problem, so you're getting at something larger; what is it?

BTW the current key bindings are so good because I can do a lot without my hands leaving the keyboard, or even moving off the home keys. That was the very point of choosing them originally AFAIK. I recall learning these new keys many years ago, it was surprisingly fast and when I'd learnt them, amazingly quick to sink into muscle memory.

[alexhutcheson]

Unfortunately the rest of the software world settled on keybindings for cut and copy that generate almost the greatest possible pain for Emacs to migrate to them. C-c and C-x are used for dozens of the most important commands. It's technically feasible, but switching would be hard and existing users would be really upset.

[throwaway_pdp09]

I assure you I'd never propose to change emacs bindings at all, merely have a switchable alternate set. I think that would be possible? But even if you did so, there's too much else, far deeper that couldn't be amended. I think we agree it's not a credible proposition. I suspect emacs' enormous toolkit can't be exposed consistently without making it inconsistent. I can live with emacs as it is, very happily.