Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!yale!mintaka!bloom-beacon!eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!canon!smith
From: smith@canon.co.uk (Mark Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Help! Anyone know how to force the mouse to a location?
Message-ID: <1990Jun7.090438.10194@canon.co.uk>
Date: 7 Jun 90 09:04:38 GMT
References: <1990Jun5.091419.14219@portia.Stanford.EDU> <16995@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <1990Jun6.083741.4740@canon.co.uk> <3645@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Organization: Canon Research Europe, Guildford, UK
Lines: 50

rsholmes@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Rich Holmes) writes:

>In article <1990Jun6.083741.4740@canon.co.uk> smith@canon.co.uk (Mark Smith) writes
>>A perfect example of this is the old game Lode Runner, where
>>you indicate the direction of the man on the screen by pushing the mouse
>>in the appropriate direction. The man then keeps going in that direction
>>until the mouse is pushed in another direction. 

>Which is like using a screwdriver to pound in a nail.

>For a situation like this, why not use two keyboard keys to indicate left or
>right?  In fact, why not left arrow and right arrow?

>Hey, it's a crazy idea, but it just might work...

>Remember: just 'cause it's a Mac program doesn't mean you have to use the mouse
>to do everything.  They sold you the keyboard for a reason.

>The mouse is a pointing device.  Please don't use it for other things.

>- Rich Holmes

*** flame on ***

Well, the smarminess of this answer might not have bugged me so much if
it wasn't also so stupid. The technique I described is used in all kinds
of games, including Dark Castle and Apache Strike. Keyboards simply don't
give you the fine level of control needed, so you are right in that
your idea *is* crazy, but unfortunately it *won't* work. 

The mouse is not a pointing device. The mouse is a device which reports
relative movements. In *most* cases, it happens to be convenient to
relate those relative movements to an absolute screen position. Too bad
you can't make full use of it in other situations as well.

How you can come to the conclusion that controlling movement on the
screen in the way I described is like "using a screwdriver to pound in
a nail" is beyond me. A better analogy is that it's like having a
drill, and not being allowed to use it to as an electric screwdriver
because "drills are only for making holes in things".

*** flame off ***

====================================================================
 Mark Smith                            Canon Research Centre Europe
 smith@canon.co.uk                         19 Frederick Sanger Road
 ..ukc!uos-ee!canon!smith                       Guildford Surrey UK
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