Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!ncar!noao!asuvax!hrc!xroads!ronnie
From: ronnie@xroads.UUCP (Ronnie Phillips)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Advice about light pens
Message-ID: <727@xroads.UUCP>
Date: 31 May 89 15:01:18 GMT
References: <1989May18.213756.22453@utpsych.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: ronnie@xroads.UUCP (Ronnie Phillips)
Organization: Crossroads, Phoenix, AZ 85046
Lines: 32

In article <1989May18.213756.22453@utpsych.toronto.edu> chris@utpsych.toronto.edu (Christine Hitchcock) writes:
>I'm interested in buying a light pen for an IBM AT with a VGA monitor.  Is there
>
>anyone who can give me some advice on what to look for? I'd like non-computer 

Years ago, I bought a Gibson light pen for my Apple computer.  I 
thought all the demonstrations I'd seen at computer shows made the
light pen look really neat and easy to use.  The software that came
with it was dynamite.

BUT....

What no one tells you is how tired you get from holding your hand
in such an uncomfortable position at your monitor.  No resting
place for your hand and if  you want to do anything detailed it
gets very tedious.  Of course, I suppose it all depends on your
intended use - as a pointer it would be great... but as a drawing
tool its terrible.  It is accurate, but you get too tired with it.

The mouse seems to be the best device for drawing that I've found.

If you use a light pen for drawing, you'll end up hating it, no matter
what brand you decide on.  In fact, you don't even see many light
pens on the market anymore - probably this is the reason.

-Ronnie


-- 
\  /  C r o s s r o a d s  C o m m u n i c a t i o n s
 /\   (602) 941-2005 300|1200 Baud 24 hrs/day
/  \  hplabs!hp-sdd!crash!xroads!ronnie