Any way to make Cmd-D "delete next word" rather than "split-pane" in Terminal
Switch to iTerm2. It's free and sooo much nicer than plain old terminal. Also it has a lot more options for customization, like keyboard shortcuts.

Also I love that you can use cmd and 1-9 to switch between tabs. Try it and you will never go back to regular terminal :)

How to set up delete next word in iTerm 2


Install iTerm2
Launch and then go to preference pane.
Choose the "Keys" tab


Click on the plus button to add a new keyboard shortcut
In the first box type CMD+D
In the second box choose "Send Escape Sequence"
In the third box type the letter d




Voila! Now in iTerm2 cmd+d will delete the word in front of the cursor.

See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/81272/is-there-any-way-in-the-os-x-terminal-to-move-the-cursor-word-by-word/8250989#8250989