Esc Close
Version 2.0.0
Dated 18 Dec 2013

Freeware, Portable
(c) 2013 Anand K Gupta
https://sites.google.com/site/escclose/


See Changes.txt for changes history.



Description (of the application) :

From the time of MS-DOS and PC-DOS, we are accustom to using ESC key to close a
box / option or go back one step. We could run a program and know that, to close
or abort it, we have the versatile ESC key and it worked.

Now in the era of Windows, Microsoft decided that we must learn to use ALT+F4
key combination to close a window. How they got the idea of ALT+F4 is beyond
anybody's imagination, I feel. They could have used ALT+X, say if they so
wanted. Anyway, who are we to question M.S. So we mortal, learned a new trick on
how to use single hand for pressing two far away buttons. I learned it and life
just went by and no body complained.

Well then I got a brand new Laptop. Now like M.S., the laptop, ultra-book etc.
manufactures decided that we do not need regular size buttons for functions
keys. Some manufacturer even made them just like a single noodle cut in small
pieces. Again they had their reasons of not enough space for the function keys.

The user, me, who was well trained to use ALT+F4 key without looking at the
keyboard, even with single left hand, could not get it right in most attempts.
Either I hit ALT+F3 or ALT+F5 but never ALT+F4. I had to take a close look at
the function keys row to find the elusive F4 key to press it, for a simple job
of closing a window.

Some programmers understood the pain and gave ESC key as an option to close
their program, but mostly let M.S. do the job. Here again in some programs, ESC
key do entirely different job instead of closing.

As a programmer I was finding it waste of time fiddling with function keys, when
a simple ESC key could have done it.

I decided to make ESC key to close a window.



Benefits (of using it) :

You can close a program by just pressing the ESC key thrice. You can even close
a tab by pressing ESC key twice. Obviously you can change what action twice and
thrice pressing the ESC will do, in Settings. The single ESC key press works as
usual.

Now Notepad can be closed with ESC key. Also GOM player can be made to close
instead of minimize. Closing a tab in a browser is just so simple now.



Installation (on computer) :

Unzip all the files into a directory you want, then launch it. Go to Download
page to download the zip file containing the exe.

To make this program start with Windows, please check
https://sites.google.com/site/aghappy/Home/shortcutinstartup for the steps to
add shortcut of a program into the startup folder in more details, each
accompanying with visual image.


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