From: jeff@microunity.com (Jeff Kaskey)
Subject: Re: O.K., HOW ABOUT DOD MOUSE
Organization: MicroUnity Systems Engineering, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 10:30:14 GMT

In article <1992Apr16.193136.10842@serval.net.wsu.edu> jearls@luke.eecs.wsu.edu writes:
>In article <1992Apr16.175329.20280@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> ttmech@convx1.lerc.nasa.gov (Paul Mech) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr16.160902.7043@javelin.sim.es.com> blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes:
>>>
>>>True, Real Men (tm) use trackballs.
>>
>>No, Real Men (tm) use the arrow keys.  None of these sissy interfaces!
>>
>
>  ARROW KEYS, we don' neeed no steenkeen arrow keys!
>  
>  True Real Men (tm) use H, J, K, and L to move the cursor around the 
>  screen.  Only a real wuss would use anything other than vi.

Tha's right. REAL control. That's why you see jet pilots forgoing
the joystick and grabbing tight their trusty keyboard to do battle
with the evil empire ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H uh, Iraqis.  There is of course
the minor detail that they can't fire in steering mode, nor steer
in firing mode, but this is a small sacrifice to avoid running out
of mousepad in the middle of a strafing run or getting sandwich
crumbs caught in the trackball.  With a few custom keyboard macros
they can repeat whole flight maneuvers with a few simple strokes, 
assuming they correctly remember which register holds the appropriate
script. Now I know that there are those among you who have forsaken
the one true vi and are invoking that blaspheme emacs, but I say to you:
in the heat of battle you will be stricken with carpal tunnel syndrome
from the constant reach to the CTRL key and shall not be permitted to
reach nirvana until you spend at least three lives satisfying your
dharma as a salesman for Dvorak keyboards.  Knowing that you are
truly RIGHT in a land that doesn't care will breed the humility
required before you may yank and put without thinking about which
control is in upper case.
	What were we talking about? Oh, mousepads. Well, I guess
if you feel it's necessary.  Most mice seem to just ovulate and quietly
deal with it, no pads, no muss, no fuss.  I have discovered mouse
nests in my time, but have never seen the little sanitary disposal
bags so I've always assumed... 
	Perhaps we could bring Brucer back into the fold with this 
interesting topic, then his response could be reposted daily to 
r.m as well as random crossposts to other groups with severe bandwith
overloads. After all, the only obvious thing to do with the few
decent posts around here is to repeat them until they are just
as onerous as the more frequent dreck.
	How does one countersteer a mousepad?  Would different 
rubber compounds improve the ball traction? It wouldn't be one of
those cheap, flashy import mousepads would it?  Hey, do a lot of
you folks use mousepads? Gee, maybe we should form this little 
secret society just for the fun of it and to kind of harass the
newcomers.  We could be the Mousers of USEnet and we can each take
a 'knighted' title.  As the owner of a loud fast Sportster, I'll be
'Lord Of the Unholy Dinosaur', or...

-jeff                                      LOUD MoUSE #0001
jeff@microunity.com                   "it's all in the wrist"


-jeff
MoUSE# 0001