Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!barnett From: barnett@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system Subject: Re: The Mouse -- What is its History? Message-ID: Date: 15 Oct 90 21:33:37 GMT References: <21056@dime.cs.umass.edu> <1123@helens.Stanford.EDU> , <1478@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com Reply-To: barnett@crdgw1.ge.com Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY Lines: 30 In-reply-to: vd09+@andrew.cmu.edu's message of 14 Oct 90 00:50:42 GMT In article vd09+@andrew.cmu.edu (Vincent M. Del Vecchio) writes: > > A three button mouse could be put on the Mac |> without any problem, and without changing the user interface at all. |is ridiculous. The only way that you could even come close to keeping |the interface the same would be to have all three buttons do the same |thing... and then what's the point of a three button mouse? |thing... and then what's the point of a three button mouse? If you make |the three buttons do different things, there are users out there who, |coming from a one-button Mac that they never became very confident with, |will jump if they accidentally click on the wrong button and a menu pops |up in the middle of a window. Who said every Mac would have a 2 or 3 button mouse? Some people don't like the extended keyboard. Fine. Same with the 3 button mouse. Why would a beginner want a three button mouse anyway? It's the power users who want more flexibility. I also don't think a properly designed UI that uses a three button mouse is that difficult to manage. People can learn that one button always pops up a menu. This is not a difficult concept to master - even for new users. Expecially if you write in raised letters on the mouse button "MENU". -- Bruce G. Barnett barnett@crd.ge.com uunet!crdgw1!barnett