Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!celit!dave From: dave@fps.com (Dave Smith) Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops Subject: Re: Any impressions of the new GrIDPad? Message-ID: <6292@celit.fps.com> Date: 19 Jan 90 19:50:05 GMT References: <15545@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <15782@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <144@tacitus.tfic.bc.ca> Sender: daemon@fps.com Reply-To: dave@fps.com (Dave Smith) Organization: FPS Computing Inc., San Diego CA Lines: 46 In article <144@tacitus.tfic.bc.ca> clh@tacitus.UUCP (Chris Hermansen) writes: > >Now this sounds like a more interesting application. Sort of the Sony >Writeman (no attempt to steal any trademarks here!) approach to life. I >have a picture of some astronmer prodding the bowels of her solar telescope >and taking notes on her Gridpad. I'd bet this application is in the minority, >though. > >Seems to me that the "point-and-click" metaphor has been fairly well >demonstrated to fit into the situation of the computer having more information >than the user (ie the "majority of people" mentioned above). In the case >where the user has more useful information than the computer (ie us computer >geeks), I can't say that I'd prefer to write, rather than type, commands. By >the way, have you checked out the portable Mac? It brings the point-and-click >metaphor to the (almost) hand-held world. > >Besides, I *DEFY* you to conceive of how the Gridpad is going to support all >those EMACS users out there :-) No reason why a Gridpad couldn't support a point-and-click metaphor. Just need a button on your stylus. It's a _lot_ easier to deal with initially than learning to move the cursor with the mouse. As far as applications, any application where you would rather have a notepad than a keyboard is fair game. For example, I would like one with an integrated text/graphics editor so that I can take notes, have it transform my chicken scratchings into text (it'll probably require that I write neatly to use it, sigh...) and let me put in little drawings. Afterwards, I can take the drawings and neaten them up, index my notes in the computer, etc. What the writing interface really buys you is that you don't have to switch interfaces anymore, i.e. when you switch from text entry to graphics entry you don't have to take your hand off the keyboard and put it on the mouse or trackball. I'd still like a keyboard if I were going to be doing lots of mostly text stuff, but for mixed text and graphics this looks like the right way to go. -- David L. Smith FPS Computing, San Diego ucsd!celerity!dave or dave@fps.com "I'm trying to think, but nothing happens!" - Curly Howard