Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!apollo!ganek
From: ganek@apollo.HP.COM (Dan Ganek)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: want info on release of rev 5
Message-ID: <4c5ad8f3.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Date: 22 Aug 90 17:12:00 GMT
References: <5282@ge-dab.GE.COM> <9008132302.AA03487@expire.lcs.mit.edu>
Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM
Lines: 55

John,

I tried email, but I didn't succeed.

From: jf@ap.co.umist.ac.uk (John Forrest @ UMIST Computation, Manchester, UK.)
>Has anybody else had experience in trying to configure X environments
>for people who have co-ordination problems when using normal keyboards -
>that is find it impossible to type more than one key at a time and to
>move mice around? We have a particular case in mind - this isn't a
>theoretical exercise. In particular we believe that the particular
>person could use an X environment if we could do the following:
>
>1) The modifier keys could all act akin to Caps-Lock (ie. once pressed
>the action stayed in place until pressed again).
>
>2) The cursor could be moved around using the keyboard arrow keys, or
>other keyboard keys.
>
>If the mice buttons could also be replaced by keyboard keys, this might
>help. Also some way of simulating double clicks at a slow rate.
>
>We are running the MIT server on an Apollo ring running 10.1. We could
>upgrade to 10.2 if we needed to. However, we'd like a method that worked
>on other machines too (esp. Sun's).
>
>Can anyone help?

I can help you on the Apollo but unfortunately it is specific to us.

1) If you use Apollo's share-mode X11 server*, the apollo program  
   /usr/apollo/bin/kbm has an option which I specificially put 
   in for disabled users. The -T option allows any function key or 
   modifier key to have the toggle action. See the man pages.
   (sr10.2 and later)
                                                     
2) You can write you own "locator" daemon which can control the
   position and button state of the system locator device. 
   see the sample program  /sys/source/bp1/sbp1_example.pas

   The critical procedure is  smd_$set_tp_cursor 
   This generates a locator position and button report which will be 
   delivered to all processes using the system locator. This is includes 
   the MIT server, the DM, Xapollo, etc.  You could write an X program which 
   grabs specific keypresses and then generates position reports and 
   button presses. Such a program would be quite straightforward as
   long as you don't require concurrent use of both the physical mouse
   and daemon. 
 

* The share-mode X11 server comes with sr10.2 and later OS releases. 
                     

dan ganek
HP/Apollo
ganek@apollo.hp.com