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From: gsbrob1@apcvxa.uchicago.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Finder Improvements
Message-ID: <848@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 20 Nov 88 18:42:08 GMT
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Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
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In article <4174@Portia.Stanford.EDU>, mouser@Portia.Stanford.EDU (Michael Wang) writes...
 
>In all this discussion of where to put menus (in a fixed menu bar, in the
>document's window, etc.), nobody's mentioned a simple hardware solution...
> 
>(Excuse me for a second while a climb into my flame-proof suit)
> 
>....a two-button mouse! If one button is dedicated to bringing up a pop-up,
>hierarchical menu and selecting from it (similar to what most workstation
>mice and PopIt do), accessing menus on large screens would be a lot easier.
>I already use PopIt in conjunction with Stepping Out II, but I dislike
>having to hold down Shift-Command everytime I want the menus to pop-up. I
>don't think it would be too hard to develop a two-button mouse with the
>associated driver/CDEV for the ADB port. Now, I know people are going to
>say that two-button mice are harder to learn, but if the only function of
>the second button is to bring up the pop-up menu, it shouldn't be too hard
>to learn. Then of course somebody will ask, "which button do you use to
>select a menu from the regular menu bar..."
> 


Well, no flame here, but I disagree with the concept.  I don't think pop-up
menus for main menus is a good idea: one of the nice things about the Mac is
being able to see the main menu all the time.  In addition, on most of the
workstations that I've used the menu you get is dependent on _where_ the cursor
is at the time.  Now this may be what you'd like, since it makes mouse travel
less, but I would say it's not as intuitive to the average user as the current
setup (nor is the 2 button mouse).  Remember, the whole point of this is to
make a consistent and simpler interface for _all_ users, not just the "power"
user.  I think the basic Mac concept is a good one, but is -- as those
participating in this discussion are saying -- in need of refinement.  I don't
think a 2-button mouse is the way to go.


Robert 

gsbrob1@apcvxa.uchicago.edu
ra_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu

  ............................................................................
  . generic disclaimer:  all opinions here expressed are mine and mine alone .
  ............................................................................




I think pop-up menus for subsidiary menus
are OK, but their use should be carefully considered.