control mouse with keyboard and web browsing

I have lost my mouse functionality, and I have to work without it on my Ubuntu PC for a couple of days. I am OK with doing my stuffs without it on my computer. But I'm having no good time with web browsing at all. If I want to select a link I have to press tab several times, If I control mouse with Numpad then mouse moves really really slow (and it is useless). So, at the moment I do my stuffs on my PC and do web browsings with my laptop. Is there any way to solve this? I am using Ubuntu 12.10


Solution 1:

You should be able to control the acceleration settings of the mouse in the "Mouse Keys" tab of the "Keyboard Preferences" (source):


Ubuntu 12.10
These settings are found under:

Settings > Universal Access > Pointing and Clicking > Mouse Keys (disable)

enter image description here

Alternatively, you may be interested in these:

  • keynav (sudo apt-get install keynav):

    Keynav makes your keyboard a fast mouse cursor mover. You can move the cursor to any point on the screen with a few key strokes. It also simulates mouse click. You can do everything mouse can do with a keyboard.

  • Gizmo Daemon :

Gizmod is a utility for enabling alternative input devices to be used in Linux. This includes such devices as the PowerMate USB dial, fancy keyboards and mice with buttons not recognized or supported by X. Gizmod allows per application event mappings.

Solution 2:

I've had a problem with this ages, but finally found the solution: xkbset

From this link:

sudo apt-get install xkbset
xkbset ma [delay] [interval] [time to max] [max speed] [curve]
xkbset ma 60 10 10 20 10

Of course you can play with the values as necessary.

Solved it straight away. Hope this helps someone in future.

Solution 3:

provided you're using Firefox, addons like these might be worth considering:

  • https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/mouseless-browsing/
  • http://elder-gods.org/lol/

which I don't use anymore (at least not currently and not in the foreseeable future)

and of course the indispensible (?) keyconfig extension:

  • http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=72994

which I've been gratefully using for donkey's years.

Solution 4:

Good way to learn some keyboard shortcuts search Ubuntu.com for keyboard shortcuts

An other handy option is using any game controller mapped with xboxdrv to your convenience.

Solution 5:

After all I found an add-on for firefox named VimFx and one for chrome named Vimium. You can do a lot without mouse, easily. Here are its shortcuts, that if you are a vim user, then most of them you already know!

Dealing with URLs

o       Focus the Address Bar
O       Focus the Search Bar
p       Navigate to the address in the clipboard
P       Open new tab and navigate to the address in the clipboard
yf      Copy link url to the clipboard
vf      Focus element
yy      Copy current page link to the clipboard
r       Reload current page
R       Reload current page and all the assets (js, css, etc.)
ar      Reload pages in all tabs
aR      Reload pages in all tabs including assets (js, css, img)
s       Stop loading current page
as      Stop loading pages in all tabs

Navigating the Page

gg      Scroll to the Top of the page
G       Scroll to the Bottom of the page
j,c-e   Scroll Down
k,c-y   Scroll Up
h       Scroll Left
l       Scroll Right
d       Scroll half a Page Down
u       Scroll half a Page Up
c-f     Scroll full Page Down
c-b     Scroll full Page Up

Working with Tabs

t       Open New Blank tab
J,gT    Go to the Previous tab
K,gt    Go to the Next tab
c-J     Move current tab to the Left
c-K     Move current tab to the Right
gh      Navigate to the Home Page
gH,g^   Go to the First tab
gL,g$   Go to the Last tab
x       Close current tab
X       Restore last closed tab

Browsing

f       Follow a link on the current page
F       Follow a link on the current page in a new tab
af      Follow multiple links on the current page
[       Follow the Previous page link on the current page
]       Follow the Next page link on the current page
gu      Go up one level in the URL hierarchy
gU      Go up to root of the URL hierarchy
H       Go Back in history
L       Go Forward in history

Misc

/       Enter Find mode
a/      Enter Find mode to highlight all matches
n       Go to the next Find match
N       Go to the previous Find match
i       Enter insert mode: Ignore all commands
?       Show this dialog
:       Open Developer Toolbar
Esc     Enter normal mode (remove hint markers, exit insert mode) or blur/close active element