1 yr. ago • 97%

How I messed up by accidentally replaying all my keystrokes from the last few days

github.com Nerf dynamic macros (how I messed up by running one that has been recording for days) · Issue #595 · jtroo/kanata

Let me preface this by saying that I am aware of the fact that this one 100% user error on my part, and I don't mean to blame anyone else for it, the reason why I'm creatin this issue is that I'd l...

After getting a comment from the creator of kanata (an awesome piece of software by the way) that he found my story amusing, I figured that I'd also post it here, partly as fun, partly as a cautionary tale. Also, I'd appreciate any tips as to what to check for in my system, it's a weird feeling to know that some stuff might have been messed up under the hood.

43 comments

A dramatic re-enactment of the events.

68
- Wow, this reflects quite well on the feelings! 😄 Also, it shows that it could've been much worse. 😐
  
  22
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  
  A dramatic re-enactment of what the events.
  
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
  
  9
- This made me laught
  
  Also here is the invidious link
  
  https://vid.puffyan.us/watch?v=d5I0PFcW-0k
  
  2
Just reading, my first instinct was, "Yank the fucking cable, oh lawd!!!"

I hope I would be that reactionary in the situation, but as you said, you were confused and panicked and the thought didn't occur until after. I guess I won't know ~~unless~~ until it happens to me one day.

35
- He did say his keystrokes were playback in a few seconds. No way you realize what is happening and yank the cable this fast. This is the type of situation where people sit and watch the chaos unfold
  
  25
  
  Well he had time to ssh in from his phone and type a command
  
  19
- Yes, this keyboard idea was quite a rollercoaster, because at first I blamed myself for not pulling it, but then I realized, that it wouldn't have helped even if I did, as Kanata keeps running just fine with the bound input device removed. 🙃
  
  (Edit: Oh, sorry, you meant the power cable! 🤦‍♂️)
  
  23
  
  I think they meant pull the power cable out 😬
  
  6
- I've had instances of stuff happening without my input (never malicious, just a messed up input device or some weird stuff getting buffered) and power cycling has always been my first instinct. Power down, remove all peripherals and network connections, power back up, start diagnosing.
  
  So yay me, I guess?
  
  9
  
  Sometimes Windows (on laptop) decides to drop a key release, meaning I have to figure out how to restart while (e.g.) Esc is being held down.
  
  1
- After the first few times of me spilling coke, coffee, water and what not on my laptops and open case PCs I have it ingrained in me. Anything, ANYTHING goes wrong - plug that thing off ASAP. It's a learned reflex at this point.
  
  4
  
  Maybe shouldn't be doing lines of coke next to your laptop too
  
  5
Lmao

29
Seriously though, limiting the macro length to something reasonable should work, but it’s also guaranteed to make some people mad. I’m sure there’s at least one user who is working on something absurdly obscure that requires a macro long enough to reach beyond the edge of the observable universe.

My solution is to make the default behavior sensible, while proving a special option for that one guy. Just limit it for the average user, but not for everyone.

22
- https://m.xkcd.com/1172/
  
  9
- Well you make that adjustable with infinite being one of the choices. Set it to a default of something like 25 and let the user increase if they need to.
  
  4
  
  That would be a very nice option. In some apps, 0=infinite, while the other numbers work as expected.
  
  3
- Yeah I mean the issue mentions that a reasonable default that can be override.
  
  3
That's fun and also horrifying. Consider the fact that your keyboard history likely has your password it. You could end up running sudo commands and authorizing things unintentionally

15
- ya don't have to enter your sudo password if you're already logged in as root
  
  4
I once left my phone non locked in my pocket once and it started typing a ton of gibberish in a serious group chat. So yep, could've been worse for you

15
OP is literally the dude running the strange setup in the age olld, "this should be a solution that anyone can use, no one can be running THAT strange of a setup".

Why would you use two numpads as a keyboard. WHY

12
- Because ortholinear split keyboards aren't that easy to come by (I got tired of confusing my fingers when reaching for letters between them, now there is no "between", just straight columns. Also, I can hold my hands at shoulder width!), on the other hand this was an option I had all the necessary hardware for, and with some software configuration it is actually really usable!
  
  (The question could potentially also be "Why aren't more people using two numpads as a keyboard?", but I guess that the answer would be somewhere between they don't care about and they don't know about the advantages it would provide. 🙃)
  
  3
Great one 😅

12
- Glad you liked it! 😀
  Being able to at least entertain people by sharing my misfortune makes it more bearable. 😉
  
  13
  
  From your discussion with Kanata "two numpads as a makeshift cheap "split ortholinear" keyboard" I am curious to see a picture of this. If I misunderstood the posts and this is the Kanat guy saying this then oops, otherwise, this sounds interesting as a super-portable full-sized keyboard.
  
  4
Fucking Gskill keyboard has the same issue. Maco recording buttons that are up near escape so I'd hit record without knowing it, then sometime later I'd replay it all. After the second time I just ripped the whole button off the keyboard.

Fuck that shit.

12
Oof I would be so panicked if that happened to me

11
Damn. In the old days, I would have yanked the power cable out, but I probably wouldn't remember powering off the laptop either. Kudos for posting about it though.

5
This made me chuckle, thanks!

4
Does Ctrl+Alt+Backspace not kill X any more (assuming you're using X)?

Does Ctrl+Alt+Delete reboot the system from a graphical desktop? Or is that only from the virtual consoles?

I wonder if locking the session would have stopped it as well. I doubt the Alt+SysRq combos would have been useful since other random input was happening at the same time (unless the next keystroke happened to be an I, U, or B).

3
- 1.) I'm using wayland (river as a compositor at this point), and have not set up a key combo for riverctl exit in fear of an accidental trigger, but it might actually be a good idea.
  2.) As far as I know, that only applies to the VTTYs.
  3.) Setting up a screen locker program does seem like a good option for preventing unwanted input (which can occur for other reasons as well, such as my one year old son 😀) without potential loss of work / data! Is swaylock the go to solution for this nowadays?
  
  5
  
  River looks nice, I use bspwm for years now and always was in search of another highly configurable wm/compositor for Wayland. I hate the i3/sway way of doing things i.e. beeing very opinionated while pretending not to and doing things almost like a DE.
  
  On first glance this seems to be it! With riverctl replacing bspc. It even allows external programs for the layout and the config is by default just a shell script.
  
  Are there any known issues you encountered or quirks? Would you recommend it to me?
  
  1
- They moved Ctrl-Alt-Backspace behind a config iirc - too easy to hit by accident.
  
  1

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