From: Lucio de Re lucio@proxima.alt.za
Subject: [9fans] Arrow keys
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 20:09:13 +0200 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <19970910180913.S3UYKLQEuk2TPYMFRhpCJf6HzESWjkwzE0T7985LuwM@z> (raw)
I presume the reason arrow keys don't move the cursor around (I _do_
wish they did, at least in the Unix versions of SAM) is because of the
arbitrariness of line movement. I can't imagine the slightest reason
for them not working horizontally at character level, and the mouse
resolution can be such a bind...
But once one accepts the mouse as the only means to move the cursor, I
have wondered for a while whether it would not be useful to turn the
mouse arrow off after a brief period of inactivity, only to bring it
back when the mouse is moved.
The rationale is as follows: a static mouse cursor only gets in the way
of the text (or whatever) on the screen, turning it off is better than
having to move it to an unobtrusive location. Whereas it may initially
be a touch disconcerting not to know where the cursor is, the eye's
sensitivity to movement would make it easy to spot the cursor once it
reappears (give or take some LCD displays where tracking down the
cursor is practically impossible all the time :-(
Plan 9 (or Inferno, for that matter) may be fine place for some
experimentation. If Bell Labs (or anyone else who can afford to) want
to patent the idea, I'll only demand acknowledgement, even though real
money would be gratefully accepted :-)
--
Lucio de Re (lucio@proxima.alt.za)
Disclaimer: I'm working at getting my opinions to agree with me.
next reply other threads:[~1997-09-10 18:09 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 11+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1997-09-10 18:09 Lucio [this message]
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-09-12 15:19 [9fans] arrow keys Roger
1997-09-11 8:18 [9fans] Arrow keys Bill
1997-09-11 3:29 [9fans] arrow keys Chris
1997-09-10 22:13 geoff
1997-09-10 21:26 Mike
1997-09-10 21:10 jmk
1997-09-10 20:41 David
1997-09-10 18:28 [9fans] Arrow keys Lucio
1997-09-10 18:09 rob
1997-09-10 17:56 [9fans] arrow keys forsyth
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