APPLEVISION Monitor

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Tue May 7 00:30:51 2002

I'm not sure how this ties into greater efficiency or effectiveness...

more below, of course.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sean 'Captain Napalm' Conner" <spc_at_conman.org>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 10:13 PM
Subject: Re: APPLEVISION Monitor


> 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).
>
I don't know whether you've noticed this, but, irrespective of which hand you
favor, the left mouse button is on the left, and so on.
>
> 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.
>
Nearly everything you ca do with a mouse can be expedited with keystrokes on
the PC. That's not the case with a Mac, is it?
>
> 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.
>
I still find the Mac somewhat awkward, and, of course don' t know what to do
next more than half of the time.
>
> -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.
>
I was just going to point out that you can, in software, swap buttons.
>
 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?).
>
I find it a big enough button that I've not missed it enough to bother me.
Received on Tue May 07 2002 - 00:30:51 BST