Computing and hand/wrist problems (UI Alternatives)

Looking back, my interface preference is toward software that allows me to keep my hands on the keyboard. This stems from falling and hurting my hand many years ago which lead to getting fatigued quickly when I'm forced to move my hand between mouse and keyboard frequently. I had a job where we had to use a bespoke text editor to edit proprietary XML all day. This program involved a lot of clicking through menus. As a result, I started using vim to edit the XML files directly then only opening it with the special editor to do the magic juju involved in publishing changes. This saved a little time (which didn't matter since working faster only lead to getting more work), but more importantly my wrists felt amazing after a long day. My mind didn't, but that's another story.

For editing text, most people understand the benefits of a no-mouse UI. For editing pictures or 3d models, a mouse driven interface makes a lot of sense. I submit that most software is closer to editing text than it is rotating and editing 3d objects, yet the mouse is the prefered interface because it's assumed to be easier. I would argue that it's not easier it's just what we're used to. right click on a thing, a bunch of random options appear as a clickable list which is often a russian nesting doll of even more lists. Click on a menubar at the top and hunt around for what you're looking for. Is it under File or Edit or the mystery dots?

An Alternative

A typical keyboard has 24 letter keys, 10 number keys, and at least 8 punctuation keys that aren't shared by numbers: that's 42 keys that could be used as options in a modal interface.