[OT] Pigs Fly

[Judy Perry]

Chipp,

I use two-button mice when I teach on the PC platform.  I've played
around with 3-button mice a bit.  I have a 4-button programmable
Kensington trackball (and a two-button Stingray trackball that offers true
right-clickability).

In addition to reading and agreeing with Raskin (although I think he was a
bit of a nutter on the whole modality issue), my observations are partly
based on nearly a decade of teaching new computer users how to use a
computer.  And it's definitely been a problem.

I'm not certain I understand your argument about not using a computer
reducing errors.  Of course that's true. But that's not the issue.  It's
which is easier to learn?  A one-button mouse or a two button mouse or a
three button mouse... or an n-button mouse?

Englebert, of course, ultimately ended up preferring something else
altogether to a uni-button mouse.  I think it was a foot-based control.  I
once had an English teacher stricken by polio in his youth who steered his
car using a foot-based device...

Judy

On Tue, 2 Aug 2005, Chipp Walters wrote:

> Judy,
>
> Good duck and cover ;-)
>
> Never using a computer in the first place reduces errors to nill...does
> that make it preferrable? Just wondering, how much experience do you
> have with multi-button mice?