Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!bionet!ames!oliveb!amiga!jimm
From: jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Some additions for 1.4
Message-ID: <4506@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 2 Sep 89 23:02:18 GMT
References: <26115@dhw68k.cts.com>
Reply-To: jimm@cloyd.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc, Los Gatos CA
Lines: 76

In article <26115@dhw68k.cts.com> jtb@dhw68k.cts.com (John Gibbons) writes:

[ edited ]

)  Add a Dmouse [...]
) the auto window activation 
) pointer blanking
)  A screen blanker
)  Popcli 
) user definded hot keys,
)So why not hot keys and mouse accelleration?

I am often struck with how easy it would be to add numerous really neat
features (these included) to Intuition, in the "front end" before
input is funneled down to windows, gadgets, menus, ... .

)   In closing, I have named only a few features that are used by most
)amy users now, and there are probably many others I should have
)mentioned.

But what I am more often struck with is the number of different cool ideas.
Pointer jump to gadgets in turn, keyboard driven menus, syntho-type (still
waiting for one of these: plays synthesiser music while you type, sort
of an evolved "keyclick" thing), middle mouse mapping, macros, journaling.

So, there all can't get into the ROM.  Also, if something can be done outside
of the kernel, I say "why not do it outside of the kernel?"  And if it cannot
be done outside of the kernel, I say "what's wrong with the kernel?"

The goal of Commodities Exchange (commodities.library) is to make it possible
to do ALL of these things, or know why.

Commodities (CX) is an input handler with nice habits and easy ways to hook
into the input stream.  A lot of the things you want to assign function keys
to (window stuff, menus, ...) amount to system hacking, though, so we have
to look at the big picture.

One problem with input handler approaches to user interface customization is
that there really isn't a guaranteed relationship between the window which
is active when the handler is processing the input, and the window which
will be active by the time the input gets to Intuition.

This isn't a big problem.  For example, if you have hotkeys mapped "per window,"
and click in a new window "simultaneously" with pressing F1, you might
get the inappropriate key string expansion.  I could live with this, but
there might be a nice way to remove the uncertainty.

There are some open areas, though, and creative ideas are always welcome
(especially the ones that can be expressed in a few sentences ;^).

Here's some:

1) Can we do a complete journaling deal, or do we need more "macro" commands
  like "select gadget."  If we had to, we could make a way to "log" IDCMP
  messages sent to windows.  That might be hot.

2) How do we associate things like a file full of macros with a particular
  application window?  There's some real visonary stuff about "named windows"
  going around on the East coast, but I haven't figured it all out yet.

3) Since the input hacks will be "semi-official" when CX is included in the
  official release, I can envision a product consisting of a nice solid keyboard
  macro thing, maybe with a selection of screenblankers, mouse deals, etc., ...
  and maybe a control panel for the whole lot.

  Is there any money in this, and if so, who's going to make it?

  As the woman said to the psychic: "Oh, I hope it's me!"

	jimm

-- 
Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing	   	"... the signs are very ominous,
{cbmvax,well,oliveb}!amiga!jimm          and a chill wind blows."
							- Justice Blackmun
Opinions are my own.  Comments are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.