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From: brian@apollo.uucp (Brian Holt)
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: an idea for mouse-based editors
Message-ID: <3094b8ab.110a@apollo.uucp>
Date: Wed, 8-Oct-86 18:21:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: apollo.3094b8ab.110a
Posted: Wed Oct  8 18:21:54 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Oct-86 00:09:58 EDT
References: <95@houligan.UUCP>
Reply-To: brian@apollo.UUCP (Brian Holt)
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 32
Summary: Alternative pointing devices

In article <95@houligan.UUCP> dave@murphy.UUCP writes:
>....As long as we are talking about editors and user interfaces, how about
>this: As several people have pointed out, one of the big problems with
>mouse-based editors is that you have to take your hand off the mouse in
>order to type...

I'm not exactly sure why this is in net.unix, but does anybody have a better
suggestion?
Although I use a mouse at home on my Macintosh, at work I have discovered the
touchpad.  It is built into the keyboard on the right hand side (sorry, south-
paws), and is about 3.5" square.  The sensitivity is easily adjustable, so I
can have the cursor zip around at the slightest movement, or crawl across the
screen with sweeping strokes on the pad.   It is positioned so that I can
almost reach it with my little finger without moving my right hand, and in
any case only have to move my hand about 4" from home position.   The editor
I am using is the built in Apollo Display Manager editor which also supports
mouse, trackball, etc.

Now, if someone could only build a keyboard with a small trackball located 
in front of the space bar, we would have the best of all worlds.  This is
one of those ideas that everyone has had (or at least since pointing devices
became popular) but noone has built.

--
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Brian R. Holt    Apollo Computer    Chelmsford MA.    (617) 256-6600 x7610
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