Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!stanford.edu!ptolemy-ri!pluto.arc.nasa.gov!kpc From: kpc@pluto.arc.nasa.gov (kpc) Newsgroups: comp.human-factors Subject: audio Message-ID: Date: 13 Jun 91 00:51:58 GMT References: <1991Jun12.171211.2716@cs.umn.edu> Sender: usenet@ptolemy-ri.arc.nasa.gov Organization: Sterling at NASA Ames Research Center Artificial Intelligence applications Lines: 25 In-reply-to: brsmith@cs.umn.edu's message of 12 Jun 91 17:12:11 GMT using audio for another few dimensions is a great idea. one thing that's important about audio is that it should be: disableable not required, so that disabling it does not remove functionality (obviously, a voice synthesis program or an alarm clock program might be forgiven transgression of this rule...) configurable in sound (volume, pitch, duration, etc.) configurable semantically (e.g. sound bindings, like key bindings) some people actively avoid programs that beep! visible-bell, such as in emacs and vi and xterm, is a nice feature. p.s. on another topic, how much work is being done on non-CTS-producing keyboards and so on? what events will make them widespread? (by CTS i mean carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries that are associated with computers in general.) -- Tweety is a bird. Socrates is a man. John loves Mary. Mary is tall.