Exactly. It's not straightforward, is it?

I'm sure the internal architecture of Vegas precludes in some way [what I would call] the intuitive way of doing it, and doubtless makes other operations easier.
It's just that, typically, I ripple edit every clip I use and I have to say I've not yet hit a slick way of doing it in Vegas while on automatic pilot.
If only there were some key sequence of snapping to the edges of an event it would be a big help: I don't find a mouse very accurate for positioning for In/Out points.

Oh well.

PeterMac -
I ripple edit all the time and I agree it takes a little getting used to but here are all the ways in which I do it:

First thing to note is no ripple editing will occur unless you create a "time selection". A time selection is a non event oriented selection which highlights a period of time on the ruller toolbar and across all tracks. You can make one in a few ways: drag along the top of the ruler with the left-mouse button, double click on an event (or multiple events by double-clicking on the first event and dragging without lifting up the left mouse button - this will snap the selection to other event boundaries on the same track as the first event), or double click on space between two events.

So, with ripple editing turned on, the following will happen:
if you just want the events on a single track to ripple, you have to make sure to select only a time selection that affects that track. Double click on an event and delete and that will ripple that track only. Delete an empty time selection on that track, though, and all tracks will ripple by that amount because there is nothing to isolate it to that track only. To select a portion of an event with a time selection but only ripple that one track, make the selection and then ctrl-click on the event on the track you want to ripple. That should only ripple that one track. Following me? To make sure you ripple the whole project (all tracks) if you want to select the length of time of an event on a certain track, double click on the event and then ctrl-click the event to essentially "unselect" it and make it affect all tracks.

You really have to just do a little experimenting, but you'll get the hang of it. I hope we will get event edge trim rippling, like Pro Tools, at some point, though.

Good luck.

The surprizing thing for me was having come from pinnacle products that do ripple the way you request is how I feel about it now. At first I missed the ripple edit. Then I started planning my projects a little different so that I wasn't always fudging the edit. I then got int the habit of using the 'select events to end' and manually sliding. What I found out was that not having ripple edit the way pinnacle did it was better for me. I was constantly fighting the ripple when I didn't want stuff to shift. With SF and a little change in method I know have the choice and it works for me. It did take some getting used to at first though.

Ctrl-Alt-arrows will move the cursor to the beginning/end of events.

I was a little confused at first because it often seemed that i needed to do this three times to move to the next event, but i finally realized what was happening. The cursor is positioned to the boundry of any event, either audio or video. Some of the clips i've captured have the audio just slightly shorter than the video. The first Ctrl-Alt-Right arrow moves to the end of the audio event, the next one moves to the end of the video event, and the third moves to the beginning of the next clip.

This shortcut also stops at all transition boundries as well.

Thanks everyone for the tips. You certainly gave me some ideas. Now all I have to do is adopt (adapt?)

Don't any of you though, miss Premiere's split screen effect where you can see in real-time the two edges of the jump cut as you drag the mouse?

-Pete