From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu From: Randolph Fritz Message-ID: References: <20010519141427.A5005199C1@mail.cse.psu.edu> Subject: Re: Re[4]: [9fans] home, end ^h^j^k^l Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 08:24:54 +0000 Topicbox-Message-UUID: a60c43f6-eac9-11e9-9e20-41e7f4b1d025 In article <20010519141427.A5005199C1@mail.cse.psu.edu>, rob pike wrote: > > Are we settling in? Does everyone agree that ^C is copy and ^V is > paste? > Windows and Mac do...or more precisely, Mac uses command-C and command-V; windows uses control-C and control-V. (And Microsoft changed midstream; their original choices were amazingly hard to type and remember.) One change it seems that could be easily made is the use of the PgDn key for the "view" key; it is *extremely* confusing to go back and forth to other systems that ues the downarrow key as a cursor positioning key IIRC, the Mac key choices were originally made on the basis of ease of gesture by Tognazzini. > > If you don't believe me, the story is here: > http://www.asktog.com/readerMail/1999-12ReaderMail.html > Thanks to some forgotten 9fan who mentioned this a while back. > That was me. :-) > I didn't know about these experiments when I said, long ago, that > using arrow keys to point at a display is like telling someone how to > go somewhere by giving directions, while using a mouse is like > pointing at a map. In fact, I never used a screen editor until I had > a mouse, for just this reason. > The last time this came up I had an off-group discussion of this; I think some of the comments I wrote on this are relevant here. > > I've become frustrated with the lack of even simple cursor keys in > Plan 9--for going one or two characters cursor keys are faster than > mouse clicks. (I've measured it--point and click is worth about six > keystrokes, assuming no think time.) On the other hand, having > extensive cursor keys tempts one to use only cursor keys, but tests > consistently show that that method of editing is actually slower than > using a mouse, despite seeming faster. [...] > [Keyboard shortcuts are] an accessibility need, I'd think--not > everyone can use a mouse, and the chording is going to be difficult > for many people with hand disabilities [including me!], quite apart > from the RSI risks. > > In my personal opinion, the two-handed model of using the mouse for > pointing, and doing operations like cut, copy, and paste from the > keyboard has much to recommend it for users of typical physical > ability. Since we are discussing UI again, let me put in a plea for user testing. I don't even know how *I'll* respond to a new UI unless I work with a prototype. Arguing about UI without testing is a high-entropy (high heat, low light) activity :-) I have come to believe that both Unix and the Macintosh owe much of their success to user testing, with very different groups of users. Randolph A few web essays on user testing, to start with. http://www.asktog.com/columns/001closecoupledtesting.html http://www.asktog.com/columns/037TestOrElse.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010204.html