From: jess@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Jess M Holle)
Subject: Re: Multiple button mice vs keys(was:Macintosh advocacy (really!))
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 22:48:55 GMT

In article <By0y12.CEv@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> faheyr@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Bob Fahey) writes:
>My point is that swapping the 2nd mouse button to a key-mouse combination
>is certainly not easier to remember than a 2-button mouse.
                            ~~~~~~~~

This is true.  I agree 100%.

HOWEVER, there is still an advantage to the modifier button approach:

It is much easier to REMIND yourself quickly without any annoying possible 
effects.  By seeing the new cursor produced by pressing a modifier key, 
the user knows immediately whether it is going to do what he wants before 
he/she actually does it.

This concept also extends to the new user, making it much easier to LEARN.  
A new user may well not know what mouse button #2 does, or what modifier 
key n does.  When trying the mouse buttons, they immediately get a clue 
what is going on without any ill/annoying effects.

FURTHERMORE, this advantage goes even deeper in that just clicking mouse 
buttons may or may not have an effect for a given mouse position or may 
have different effects for different positions.  This means that trying 
to remember/learn the system, the user may have significant trouble 
discovering just what buttons do what.  The user may literally end up
having to click (and possibly drag as well) on each object type on the 
screen to find out what the mouse buttons do.

With the modifier key approach, the feedback for each modifier key can 
be given whenever/wherever the designer feels it is appropriate.  The
user only has to press the modifier keys to figure out what is going on.

>I know there are multiple button mice available for the mac, but does the
>OS support those buttons? If so, is their use standard between programs?
>Again, if so, then why won't Apple ship a multiple button mouse as standard?

The OS does not provide standard support for multiple mouse buttons (as
far as the programmer being able to say "if Button2, the...."  I would 
guess the reasons for this are historical and to avoid promoting software 
which requires the use of confusing multiple button mice.

Multiple button mice and trackballs for the Mac usually come with drivers
which give the ability to emulate other standard Mac inputs with the other
buttons (i.e. one button is normal, another sends mouse down events from
the time that you press it till the time that you press it again, and the
third provides double clicks).  Some provide several choices of mouse
button function.  I think that I would like this approach better than 3
button mice on other systems, since I'd always know that I could do 
everything with just one mouse button, but there might be nifty shortcuts
on the others.

MacX allows users to hold appropriate keys down while pressing the button
on a single mouse or to use multiple button mice.  AutoCAD for the Mac may 
as well (I don't recall).  (For those who don't know, MacX is X-Windows
client software for the Mac).

I'm not sure of any further details regarding the use/emulation of multiple 
button mice on the Mac, since I don't really like multiple button mice
in general.


Jess Holle