feedback and help for mousetweaks specification

[mikecorn]

This may not be exactly relevant, but here goes.

Mouse drivers need more precise control of very small movements (i.e. 
1-2 pixels). This is evident when one tries to make a diagram in 
OpenOffice, or grab the edge of a box in Gimp to tweak its size. I think 
it is possible to improve the fine control to make such operations 
easier and faster.

The method: when mouse speed slows down to a few pixels / second, 
increase the ratio of mouse steps to pixel steps. Normally this is 1:1, 
but it could become 2:1 or 3:1 as the speed goes down. This is the 
reverse of the acceleration table built into mouse drivers, whereby the 
ratio goes in the other direction as the mouse speed increases.

This would also be a help for persons with shakey hands doing routine 
things, like grabbing the edge of a window to pull it out.

There is a "sensitivity" asjustment in Gnome mouse preferences, but it 
seems to do nothing. Am I missing something?

Mike


Francesco Fumanti wrote:
> Hello,
>
>
> I would like to inform you about the mousetweaks specification 
> created by Henrik Nilsen Omma in launchpad. I fleshed it out in the 
> corresponding wiki page:
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Specs/MouseTweaks?action=show
>
> At the moment, it contains 4 mousetweaks:
>
> 1: accessing the contextual menu by a click&hold of the left mouse 
> button (usually it is done with a right click)
>
> 2: dwell clicking: i. e.: software to emulate the various mouse 
> clicks without the user having to press any button
>
> 3: tremor reduction: smoothing the pointer movement of people that 
> have a trembling hand
>
> 4: mouse gesture: triggering commands (actions) on the computer by 
> doing determined gestures with the pointer
>
> Unfortunately, I do not have the know-how to do the implementation; 
> in fact, as you can see, the implementation part in the specification 
> is nearly empty.
>
>
> There is no point in trying to classify the mousetweaks: For example, 
> there is probably only a small userbase (people that are able to move 
> the pointer but that are not able to click any button) for the 
> mousetweak #2, but as long as the functionality of mousetweak #2 is 
> not available in Ubuntu, any person of that specific userbase will 
> not be able to become an Ubuntu-user.
>
> But the mousetweaks are not exclusively accessibility related: for 
> example the functions of mousetweak #4 are particularly appreciated 
> by some powerusers; there is even a thread in the forums from people 
> that were used to mouse gestures in Windows and are missing it in 
> gnome:
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2012107
>
>
> But I suppose that this list is not the place to discuss the 
> popularity or userbase of the different softwares... (or am I wrong?)
>
>
> I hope that the mousetweaks specification will find some interest and 
> I welcome any help, suggestion, remark, correction, addition to 
> improve the specification and to get it on its way to an 
> implementation.
>
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Francesco Fumanti
>
>
> PS: I have also opened a thread in the Accessibility Forum about the 
> mousetweaks specification to also inform people about it that do not 
> use this mailing list:
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=2012703
>
>
>
>