From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <2bc9cba3aaaff0a4dffe668e281beac8@9srv.net>
From: a@9srv.net
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] p9 mice
In-Reply-To: <20040415160910.428e5351.martin@parvat.com>
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Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 06:47:21 -0400
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// So my question was: is there a way to be as convenient as the
// chords, without using chords? Has anyone any ideas?

given that all the keys/buttons already have their own meaning, the
only two options (far as i see) is making the *combintations* have
different meaning (chording), or expose the functionaly to the
existing functionality (click on "Cut"). both are already in acme,
although it's optimized for the former (sam, by contrast, i would
consider optimized to the later, with its menus under the pointer
on button-press, regardless of position).

there are two other options that preserve the "each key has its
function" assumption: more keys, or *replace* tun functionality. i
don't think the PgUp/PgDn/Home/End/Ins/Del block is used frequently
in Plan 9 (certainly not by me or others i've observed), in favor
of the arrow-scroll. Ins and Del could be reasonalbe Cut and Paste
proxies providing the same effect as the acme chording. or add
buttons, and get back to the old Sun aircraft-carrier-sized
keyboards. it's been a while, but didn't they have cut and paste?

the remaining option is toss the "each key has its function"
assumption, but i think that gets you context-sensative key
meaning, and intuitivly that sounds like it would confuse the hell
out of my hands - the meaning is wired well below concious level.

i *do* have a Shuttle Xpress i use with my PowerBook, quite
happily. it's got 5 buttons and two (nested) jog wheels. they
currently do nothing for me in Plan 9 or X11. in OS X, pretty
much everything's configurable, and (optionally) context
sensitive (interpreted by their software). it might be useful in
Plan 9 if i could map, say, the buttons to 1+2, 1+3, 1+(2,3) and
the outter jog wheel to scroll up/down.

anyway, enough of that. personally, i miss the chording in every
application i've ever used after my first month of acme.
=E3=82=A2