Project URL: https://tmux.github.io/

Tmux is a newer take on screen.

tmux is a terminal multiplexer: it enables a number of terminals to be created, accessed, and controlled from a single screen. tmux may be detached from a screen and continue running in the background, then later reattached.

My usage pattern

And/or:

1. Locally in one or more of terminal tabs. This keeps number of terminal tabs sane. I mostly use splits and occasionally tabs inside tmux.
2. Remotely for avoiding multiple ssh connections, critical tasks, poor connection.

I’d recommend these navigation keys:

bind-key -n C-Left select-pane -L
bind-key -n C-Right select-pane -R
bind-key -n C-Up select-pane -U
bind-key -n C-Down select-pane -D

bind-key -n C-S-Left switch-client -p
bind-key -n C-S-Right switch-client -n
bind-key -n S-Left prev
bind-key -n S-Right next
bind-key -n M-j prev
bind-key -n M-k next
bind-key -n C-M-z resize-pane -Z

For a remote machine I suggest setting pane navigation keys to M-Left/Right/Up/Down. This way instead of hitting Ctrl+b C-Left or worse Ctrl+b Ctrl+b Left you just hit Alt+Left (aka Meta+Left).

Pros

1. Zoom mode.
2. Saner default prefix key Ctrl+b as opposed to screen’s Ctrl+a. Outside screen Ctrl+a usually jumps to beginning of a line and I use this shortcut frequently.
3. Multiple copy buffers. See the prefix = shortcut in the manual.

Cons

1. Mouse selection and scrolling behaves different than in plain terminal. The regular mouse selection can be done with Shift but still…
2. I have not automated setting up remote machines’ tmux.conf automatically yet. That would be a huge win.