Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Classic_-_Concepts
From: Classic_-_Concepts@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Half-baked Ideas, New Projects
Message-ID: <15381@cup.portal.com>
Date: 4 Mar 89 20:35:54 GMT
References: <10642@well.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 58


    I have the problem of too many ideas (3 games in my head right now) and
too little time to implement even 1/4 of them.  Since there might be people
out there with more time and fewer ideas, I thought I'd propose this one on
the net.


    I tend to type fast (83+ on a broken-down Selectric, 90++ on a word-
processor), but even that isn't fast enough to keep up with thought processes
(I get frustrated trying to write stories, journals, etc. because I lose the
thought by the time my fingers catch up).  It occurred to me that probably
everyone would like to be able to type/write faster, especially hunt-and-
peckers and that the computer offers an unprecedented opportunity to provide
a way to do this within an editor or wordprocessor.  Here is the idea:
 
     Remember speed-writing?  The alternative to cryptic shorthand languages?
 
     Well, why not implement a form of speed-writing within a word-processor?
you could have a dictionary of short forms of words similar to speed-writing
abbreviations which would be then parsed out, either:
       1. as you type
       2. when you hit a return (I'd prefer this, less intrusive)
              (this should also be 'disablable' <- forgive the awful word)
       3. at the end of paragraphs or ....
     It should definately have a configurable dictionary.  That way if the
user is not comfortable with some of the abbreviations or wants to add some
for proper names, etc. s/he would have that option.  If the parser were based
on current speed-writing languages, then those who already know it could 
learn it quickly and those who don't would be using a system which at least
has some trial and error and research behind it.   However, something to  
think about is that abbreviations which are appropriate for hand-written
speed, might not be the best for keyboard (qwerty) speed, so perhaps there
is a graduate project here to develop 'keyboard speedwriting' recommendations
and paramaters.
     Anyway, the reason I posted this on the Amiga.tech is because I'd like
see it implemented on the Amiga, of course.  I'd like to see it on the Amiga
first!  I don't know if anyone else has thought of this idea.  I haven't
seen anything else on it, but then I haven't actively researched it.  These
musings usually pop into my head just before I fall asleep and half of them
disappear by morning.
     Well, the goal would be to type 150-250 words per minute.  Why not?!
That's what computers are for.  Actually, the goal is to improve anyone's
typing by 50%-300% or more.  Anyone interested in pursuing this??  The actual
implementation seems to me to be very straightforward.  The difficult part
would be deciding on whether to use current speedwriting forms or to develop
or find ones appropriate to keyboard input.


                                                       
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