Xref: utzoo comp.misc:7780 comp.cog-eng:1511
Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!sce!cognos!emoffatt
From: emoffatt@cognos.UUCP (Eric Moffatt)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Multi-button mice (Re: Xerox sues Apple!)
Message-ID: <7787@cognos.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 89 15:43:47 GMT
References: <172@comcon.UUCP> <7326@ficc.uu.net> <9320@hoptoad.uucp> <1989Dec18.081450.28019@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu> <461@uwslh.UUCP>
Reply-To: emoffatt@cognos.UUCP (Eric Moffatt)
Followup-To: comp.misc
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 48

In article <461@uwslh.UUCP> lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Not an illusion!) writes:
>flee@shire.cs.psu.edu (Felix Lee) writes:
>
>>The problem with multi-button mice is confusion of buttons.
>
>No kidding!  Three buttons, all being used inconsistently (i.e. using
>a DECWindows window manager with Xterm) is a lot of trouble/learning.
>
>>The problem may be just lack of consistency; every application seems
>>to want to use the mouse buttons in a different way.  If, say, the
>>right button always moved windows around, there may be less confusion.
>

The problem is certainly a lack of consistency in how the buttons are
managed. A fellow named Bill Buxton gives an interesting example of the
complexity that people are capable of...a car ! 

   Every part of the part of the body is used; feet controlling levers, 
hands controlling any number of levers,wheels and dials on a control 
console that looks like the inside of the space shuttle (on some cars).
All of this action takes place while the user's attention is (supposedly (-:) 
on the road. Yet with only a couple of weeks actual practice we allow 
new users to take to the roads, usually without untoward results. Mostly,
the reason that this is possible is the consistency between car
"interfaces" and that most of us are exposed to this interface throughout
our early life, not because of the number of buttons on the dashboard.

   Admittedly, a car runs only one application :-) but please don't tell
me that humans are only capable of handling a single button before becoming
hopelessly confused. This is more a matter for interface 'style guide'
designers than a question of what we are capable of.

    Consistency between applications (and hardware) has traditionally been
a problem in interface design, note the Sun keyboard thread of some months
ago. I've personally been through the hassle of taking an interface
designed for use with a four-button tablet and trying to map it to a
three button mouse. We're still learning.

MORE POWER TO THE MOUSE !!!!! :-)

and a very Merry Christmas to all...


-- 
Eric (Pixel Pusher) Moffatt - Cognos Incorporated: 3755 Riverside Drive
Voice: (613)738-1440 (Research) FAX: (613)738-0002 P.O. Box 9707
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