APPLEVISION Monitor

From: Sean 'Captain Napalm' Conner <spc_at_conman.org>
Date: Mon May 6 23:13:10 2002

It was thus said that the Great Richard Erlacher once stated:
>
> Doesn't your Mac have a spell-checker?
>
> No offense intended, but if you'd use the thing, it would point out your
> errors, just as you point out mine, and you'd eventually remember how to spell
> a few more of the words you use.
>
> On topic ... I'm interested in how the Mac is more prone to promote
> productivity than the Windows environment. I have limited long-term exposure
> to the Mac, and never liked a minute of it, admittedly because it was
> different from what I was accustomed to using. Nevertheless, my recent
> exposure is causing me to take another look. It doesn't demand I learn lots
> of cryptic codes that have to be entered at the console, and it doesn't even
> require I learn the path names to the objects on which I want to operate.
>
> If I could convince myself that it allows for more ease of use, I'd be a lot
> more interested.

  First off, a Mac mouse has one button. That is a conscience design choice
made by Apple. No confusing the user with this ``left button/right button''
choice---there's just ``the button'' on the mouse. Simply saying ``use the
left mouse button'' may cause confusion because not everyone is right
handed. On a right-handed mouse (or a mouse to the right side of the user)
the left-button is used as the primary button, which is also under the index
finger of the user. The right-button will be under the middle finger (or
ring finger for three-button mice).

  But move a multi-button mouse to the left side for a left handed user [1]
and now the left-button is under the middle finger (or ring finger if a
three button mouse) and the right-button is now under the index finger. The
index finger is usually the choice for a primary button so now you may have
inconvienced the user (to use a less dexterous digit to manipulate the
primary button on the mouse) or the documentation may now be incorrect for
that user (the mouse buttons have been swapped so that the primary mouse
button is the right one, but the documentation still says ``left-button'').

  Apple sidestepped that by using a single mouse button.

  Another point: there are five spots on the screen that are easily pointed
to by the mouse: the point right under the cursor (which is the fastest to
reach as you are already there) and the corners (try it---it's easy to hit
the corners---harder to hit an arbitary spot). That's the reason why the
menu bar on the Mac is at the top of the screen, instead of the top of the
window---the top of the screen is ``infinite'' in height so to reach the
menu, you move the mouse up and you are in the menu bar. Then it's a matter
of navigating left or right, which is easier since you now don't have to
worry about up and down as well [2]. Using the menu bar on Windows is
harder because of this navigation and slows users down.

  The Mac is also very consistent and you can use it without having to
double click anything (although that may slow down a knowledgeable user).
All you need to know really is that you can click (or highlight) something
on the screen, and using one of the menu options, do an action with what you
have selected. Menu placement is standard (as mentioned above) and the
options under each menu item is also standard (to a degree, the further to
the right you go, the more variance you may experience). Click on the right
most menu element will give you a list of currently active applications,
which you can choose to switch between.

  Once you get used to one application, the rest have a similar structure,
and nearly everything about the Mac is consistent, at least in my limited
experience. Apple really has spent a lot of money working on user interface
issues with the Mac, and it shows.

  -spc (Who has very little Mac experience, but has done his reading ... )

[1] I'm left handed, although I'm used to using the mouse in my right
        hand. I have a friend that is also left handed and he uses the
        mouse left handed, but has never bothered to switch the buttons in
        software.

        He is also a Mac fanatic, but he also can program and use Unix (and
        in fact, prefers to use Unix at the command line exclusively).

[2] Microsoft blew it with their Start button, as it *isn't* in the
        lower left hand corner. It's *very* close, but you still have to
        navigate the mouse properly or it won't activate when you hit the
        ... left button (or is that the command button?).
Received on Mon May 06 2002 - 23:13:10 BST