[OT] Pigs Fly

[Peter T. Evensen]

A number of times I have been called on to help "novice" computer users 
with problems on their PCs.  When I ask them to right click on something, 
they invariable had never used the right mouse button.  From then on, every 
time I ask them to click on something, they ask "right or left 
button?"   There is a lot to be said for simplicity.  Apple did a lot of 
user testing to determine a one-button mouse is less confusing, but as 
Richard points out, computer novices are becoming more and more extinct...

At 07:17 PM 8/2/2005, you wrote:
>Judy Perry wrote:
>>Whew!  I'm feeling better already.
>>I'm in agreement with Raskin on the uni-button mouse being preferrable for
>>error-reduction.
>
>Three factors come into play, with error-reduction being one of them. The 
>other is productivity, and a third being learnability.
>
>I have no doubt Raskin got it right with error-reduction, and of course a 
>single-button mouse will score higher on learnability by virtue of having 
>less to learn.
>
>But the question manufacturers face in the 21st century is:
>
>   "Does our audience today have enough experience with
>    mice to use a multi-button mouse more productively
>    than a single-button mouse?"
>
>Apple seems to have answered that question well.
>
>The single-button mouse was revolutionary for adoption of modern GUIs -- 
>thank you Mr. Engelbart.
>
>But the majority of today's computer purchasers have previous experience 
>with computing, are quite comfortable with mice, and can take advantage of 
>the productivity gains of multi-button mice with far less trouble than 
>yesterday's newbies.
>
>--
>  Richard Gaskin
>  Fourth World Media Corporation
>  ___________________________________________________________
>  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com
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Peter T. Evensen
http://www.PetersRoadToHealth.com
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