Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!Apple.COM!lsr
From: lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: There *ARE* uses for forcing the mouse to a location (non-games).
Message-ID: <8616@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 7 Jun 90 23:00:57 GMT
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Organization: Future Stuff,  Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 56
References:<1990Jun5.091419.14219@portia.Stanford.EDU> <16995@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <2285@speedy.mcnc.org> <17041@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <2291@speedy.mcnc.org>

In article <2291@speedy.mcnc.org> kk@mcnc.org (Krzysztof Kozminski) writes:
> 
> First of all, please remember that I would like to see this feature to
> be switchable on or off from the Control Panel, thus conforming to the
> principal idea of giving the control TO THE USER. 

Making this feature switchable is probably not the right thing to do.  If 
an application really needs to be able to move the pointer, then it 
probably wouldn't work right with this feature turned off.  (The result 
will be that programmers will ask for a way to turn the switch on.)

It would be better to establish guidelines on when it was legal to move 
the pointer, and for each application to provide a preferences option to 
turn this on in the application.  In applications (like games, perhaps) 
where moving the pointer is essential, you would just do it.  In 
applications where it isn't essential (like MacX, apparently) the user has 
the option.

> The size of the X-window market seems to my uneducated in the marketing
> matters self a good reason for Apple to provide some kind of consistent

This isn't clear to me (based purely on marketing).  How many X users are 
there compared to users of standard Mac applications?  In fact, most 
applications manage quite nicely without this feature, so the marketing 
argument isn't compelling.

> the pointer jumped to the next checkbox that was likely to be checked -

Someone else already explained one case where this isn't a good idea.  If 
there are that many check boxes that the user needs some help, then 
perhaps something else is wrong.  Also, a better implementation might be 
to allow the user to set up named settings, and to set the state of a 
bunch of checkboxes by selecting one of the settings.

> of selected checkboxes could be implemented.  And he asked: "now can YOUR
> Mac do THIS?"  I failed to defend the Mac Way...

I wouldn't feel bad about this.  Just be cause some application does this 
doesn't make it right.  One would need to do a user test to see if it 
makes sense.

> find the RAM Cache control *understandable*, all intuition aside.

In the alpha versions of System 7, the RAM cache control is hidden from 
the average user.  (You need to click on a button called Show Details to 
show the size of the cache.)

I suggest that people send their suggestions to 
MacInterface@AppleLink.Apple.COM and see what the response is from the 
Human Interface people.  

Larry Rosenstein, Apple Computer, Inc.
Object Specialist

Internet: lsr@Apple.com   UUCP: {nsc, sun}!apple!lsr
AppleLink: Rosenstein1