mouse... keyboard... three-handed multitasking users, heh

[Eric Dunbar]

On 6/27/05, Michael Shigorin <mike at osdn.org.ua> wrote:
> On Sun, Jun 26, 2005 at 09:04:31PM -0400, Eric Dunbar wrote:
> > impractical in modern systems given that no modern user OS
> > functions without a mouse and most people work with mouse in
> > right hand and left key over home.

(pardon the substituted words in the quote above)

> please read slowly bit by bit: if a person hands a mouse,
> *that* one will be used.  If a person has both hands over the
> keyboard, *that* will be used.

Huh? You use *two* hands for *one* mouse (or is your off-hand doing
something off-handed ;-)? Most people I see have their *right* hand on
the mouse, and their *left* hand over the "home" position (A-S-D-F on
a QWERTY keyboard). Their right hand flits back-and-forth between
mouse and J-K-L-;.

As such, one-handed commands that can be typed with the left hand only
are preferred. The most often-used key combos are on the left hand
side of the keyboard: ctrl-zxcvqws vs. ctrl-oin on the right hand side
(open-new-info are comparatively rare vs. zxcv-save) and, once you get
into Alt-F-keys there's alt-F4, ctrl-F4 (another *bad* GUI solution)

Ctrl-tab and alt-tab have the same problem as alt-F4 & ctrl-F4... same
key, different modifier = two markedly different effects with markedly
different consequences. It's better to have dedicated keys. Requires
less thought (the nitty-gritty of computing should be *transparent*,
like breathing).

> DISCLAIMER: this is just "most probably" and in case of a person
> which adequately handles both devices -- this may not always be
> the case but then again, it seems like not many people are able
> to "simulate" the real problem then.
> 
> In short: don't invent the problems, there are already enough.

Huh?