2.5 cursor change

[Ken Norris (dialup)]

Hi Troy,

> Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 22:58:49 -0400
> From: Troy Rollins <troy at rpsystems.net>
> Subject: Re: 2.5 cursor change

> Personally, I think Mickey should take its bows, and Rev should use
> something more modern, and "app looking." An alternate selection cursor
> might be the way to go.

Well, it's obvious you work in the PC world which doesn't differentiate by
cursor changes, but rather 'arms' buttons, but Macs always have, and is used
in browsers for the same reasons. I don't think modernism has anything at
all to do with it, just a difference in HIG's.

Still, in an IDE, we _must_, IMO, have proper and easily discernible
task-specific cursors. I.e., there is such a dramatic difference between a
hand and an arrow that there can be no mistake which _area_ is available for
what, and that's the whole idea.

IOW, whatever changes are made, the difference in separate cursors for
separate tasks must be intuitive and dramatic, whether or not we use 'armed'
buttons (hotspot areas are a good example, because there is no 'arming'), in
order to reduce the load on the user/developer.

NOTE: In my adaptiveware stuff, I often use both, even to the point of
overlaying translucent graphics to 'arm' a 'button' or area, plus oversized
cursors.

Ken N.