Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!ames!pasteur!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!iscuva!jimc
From: jimc@iscuva.ISCS.COM (Jim Cathey)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.misc
Subject: Re: Automatic mouse cursor movement
Message-ID: <1596@iscuva.ISCS.COM>
Date: 9 Jun 88 16:10:27 GMT
References: <10799@apple.Apple.Com> <10700006@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM> <13091@jumbo.dec.com> <735@titan.SW.MCC.COM>
Organization: ISC Systems Corporation, Spokane, WA
Lines: 23

In article <735@titan.SW.MCC.COM> janssen@titan.SW.MCC.COM (Bill Janssen) writes:
>...time we didn't warp the mouse; the user had to type ^X^F, then move the
>mouse to the minibuffer, then type in the file name, then move the mouse
>back.  Truly a pain.  Warping the mouse turned out to be a simple and
>natural way of solving the problem.

This is where having the input focus separate from where the mouse
pointer resides comes in handy.  The Mac works this way -- you need to do
more than just move the mouse to change input focus (clicking is the
'blessed' way).  The program could then 'select' the minibuffer window
and move input focus to its text-entry field, then restore the original
window/focus -- all without disturbing the position of the mouse pointer.
(Many Mac programs do this for things like WP search/replace.) I _like_
the separate text-entry winking cursor, with the mouse pointer dis-
appearing while you're typing (it re-appears when you move the mouse).
I tend to think of that mouse pointer as _mine_, much the same as my
finger.  I view mouse warping with as much enthusiasm as I would a small
man reaching over my shoulder to move my hand for me.  Often.  At _his_
whim.

I suppose it would be a pain if you routinely had to switch input focus a
lot, the extra clicking could drive you batty -- but do you really need
to do this much?  Just curious.