Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!dali.cs.montana.edu!caen!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!ukc!slxsys!ibmpcug!mantis!mathew
From: mathew@mantis.co.uk (CNEWS MUST DIE!)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: the interface for the rest of us?
Message-ID: <Rm3k21w164w@mantis.co.uk>
Date: 7 May 91 15:38:26 GMT
References: <1991May4.224336.20614@beaver.cs.washington.edu>
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.
Lines: 28

chou@steelhead.cs.washington.edu (Pai Hsiang Chou) writes:
> A keyboard is something that really can't be miniaturized
> too much.  A tiny, calculator-sized keyboard is simply unusable.
> A standard sized keyboard takes up a significant amount of space.

Only if you assume one character per key.

> To input graphics, you need either a mouse or a pen.

Or a finger or a trackball or a joystick.

Why do people in this newsgroup make so many assumptions about what is and
what is not acceptable as an input device?

> It would be nice if the same pen can be used on different computers
> so that I only have to carry one around, or borrow somebody elses
> if I lose mine.  I would rather carry a pen with several keyboardless
> notebook computers than several tiny-screened computers, each with
> their own keyboard and trackball.

What on earth do you want several notebook computers for?  I want everything
in the *one* computer, so I can copy a dictionary definition into a piece of
mail, stick a diagram into a diary entry, and so on.


mathew