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From: vnend@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (D. W. James)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Chords (was Re: a plea to Apple -- something for the offhand
Message-ID: <1396@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 24 Jul 90 21:13:04 GMT
References: <1412@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> <2787@uakari.primate.wisc.edu>
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In article <2787@uakari.primate.wisc.edu> gdavis@primate.wisc.edu writes:
)From article <1412@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>, by jgsmith@watson.bcm.tmc.edu (James G. Smith):
)>This is a plea for someone to come up with an input device for the off hand/
)>non mouse-using hand.  I would suggest a dial or pair of dials.  The immediate
 
)I think the inventor of the mouse, Doug Engelbart, did have an input device
)for the other hand. As I recall it was a simple five-fingered keyboard.
)I'm not sure what the keys did.
)Gary Davis

	Others have mentioned chord keyboards, some pointing back to 
Xerox and PARC as the source.

	I seem to recall that the military was experimenting with chord
keyboards back in the '50s as a fast means of input.  And, not surprisingly,
they were faster than QWERTY keyboards.  Them proved to be a fast and 
accurate means of input, but lost out for the same reason that Dvorak
keyboards aren't all over the place: inertia.

	I remember when I first read about these things that I thought
that they would be great for color painting.  Give me a chord-mouse
(or chord-stylus, or glove, with the right drivers), a color workstation
and a little practice and I'd have a blast.  Hand one to someone who can
paint and stand back...

	I now suspect that you would have to watch the design *very*
carefully to avoid creating a situation that would really encourage
carpal tunnel syndrome and other ergonomic nasties.  I also suspect
that it could be done fairly easily.  (And, come to think of it,
a chord pointer would make some games incredible...)

	And, last, with ADB it shouldn't be *that* hard to at least
build a prototype.  Talk about the need for a consistant user interface...

--
Later Y'all,  Vnend                       Ignorance is the mother of adventure.   
      Mail?  Send to:vnend@phoenix.princeton.edu or vnend@pucc.bitnet            
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