I think that the modality is one of the reasons why it's so productive. It allows you to reduce the number of keystrokes required to execute any command. Also it's a more efficient way to enter commands because you don't need to be holding down the ctrl or the alt key.
My book just came in from Amazon.com. I ordered it from Amazon because FSF did not take credit
cards via the web (yea I know I'm lazy). This book is thick enough to stun an ox. I am looking forward to reading it. The cheat cards are a lot cheaper and may be sufficient for most people though.
P.S. I found out ALL of the profits from the book go to support FSF so I don't feel at all bad about spending the money on the book.
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"There are some who call me TIM?"