From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 20:09:13 +0200
From: Lucio de Re lucio@proxima.alt.za
Subject: [9fans] Arrow keys
Topicbox-Message-UUID: 62a165a2-eac8-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025
Message-ID: <19970910180913.S3UYKLQEuk2TPYMFRhpCJf6HzESWjkwzE0T7985LuwM@z>

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.