is Steve turning the mac into a PC

[jbernie]

On the whole mouse thing.. (yawn) I use two...now that is different, well technically a wireless mouse and a wired trackball.

The biggest benifit to Apple's one button mice... style! that is all.

The multi button mouse is more practical etc etc, but very few are remotely close to Apple when it comes to style.

Mind you, i wonder how easy it is to tell a user to hold down the only mouse button for a few seconds to initiate the right click as opposed to telling them multiple times to RIGHT CLICK and not LEFT CLICK...hmmm... naah they would still stuff it up, it is part of the users nature to do it wrong.

 

[Blue Velvet]

The biggest benifit to Apple's one button mice... style! that is all.

Nope, not all... at all.

As someone who spends about 10-12 hours a day, sometimes more, on a Mac doing my job and at home, the one-button mouse is far easier on my right hand... especially compared to the two-button mouse on the work Dell (for office emails) that props up my work monitor.

 

[Morn]

Must be a pain to spend 10 hours a day without single handed access to a context menu...

 

[Blue Velvet]

Must be a pain to spend 10 hours a day without single handed access to a context menu...

Absolutely not.

Who needs restrictive context menus when you have a barrage of left-handed keyboard shortcuts to get your work done?

You guys are missing the point completely. In the hands of a competent operator, the mouse gets used less, not more.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Absolutely not.

Who needs restrictive context menus when you have a barrage of left-handed keyboard shortcuts to get your work done?

You guys are missing the point completely. In the hands of a competent operator, the mouse gets used less, not more.

Mouse, what mouse...?

Seriously, I couldn't agree more, I have an iBook, and even if I initially got a cheap USB scroll wheel mouse to go with it I just never got comfortable using it. I get by very fine with the trackpad (with or without the ctrl button), and actually prefer that, for those few occasions where I cannot do what I want with keyboard shortcuts.

And who needs a vertical scroller when you got a spacebar, anyway...?

 

[Morn]

Who needs restrictive context menus when you have a barrage of left-handed keyboard shortcuts to get your work done?

What if your left hand is not near the keyboard? What if you want to access functions like the spell checker/dictionary/search google/. Download an image from a web site/copy an url from a hyperlink without visiting it etc etc....

 

[Blue Velvet]

What if your left hand is not near the keyboard? What if you want to access functions like the spell checker/dictionary/search google/. Download an image from a web site/copy an url from a hyperlink without visiting it etc etc....

What if none of these functions are not relevant to my work or the software that I use?

 

[jbernie]

Absolutely not.

Who needs restrictive context menus when you have a barrage of left-handed keyboard shortcuts to get your work done?

You guys are missing the point completely. In the hands of a competent operator, the mouse gets used less, not more.

I hope for your sake you never ever hurt your left hand or arm to the point it can't be used.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I hope for your sake you never ever hurt your left hand or arm to the point it can't be used.

Why? You could say exactly the same about my right.

I'm sorry but that's a completely pointless and straw man-like thing to say and has no logical bearing on the discussion at hand.

If I lost my left hand I'd be a little more worried about other things than work to be honest.

 

[jefhatfield]

I hope for your sake you never ever hurt your left hand or arm to the point it can't be used.

ok, keep it clean, there be minors on this forum

 

[cgingrich]

I had never used the scroll wheel mouses, mostly because I was too cheap to spring for a special mouse so I just used what came with my PCs. A scroll mouse came standard with my vaio and now I don't know what I'd do without it. I got the apple bluetooth mouse with my new powerbook and while I haven't gotten much chance to play with it yet, I don't know if I'll like it at first, however I'll get used to it. I like using the arrow keys too, so I could always resort to that.

How is the scrolling device on the mighty mouse?

edit: haha just realized I said mouses, wow it's been a long semester, good thing it's over

 

[decksnap]

What if your left hand is not near the keyboard? What if you want to access functions like the spell checker/dictionary/search google/. Download an image from a web site/copy an url from a hyperlink without visiting it etc etc....

Apple+;
Control+Apple+D
Apple+tab...type
Control+click
Apple+C

bah. NOT GETTING IT. Those who know all the key commands know how to do all this stuff as fast or faster than a one handed mouse operator. My Mac is my work... my left hand isn't just always near the keyboard, it's always ON the keyboard.

I do suppose though if I lost my left arm in an accident, I would use a multi-button mouse. If that's what disabled people are using these days. (What a strange point to try to make...)

 

[danny_w]

The difference is IBM "said" that about their roadmap. Intel has actually provided their roadmap.
Showing > Saying

However, neither is the same as DOING. That is the hardest part of all, and is rarely if ever accomplished fully (by anybody).

Doing > Showing > Saying

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

What if your left hand is not near the keyboard? What if you want to access functions like the spell checker/dictionary/search google/. Download an image from a web site/copy an url from a hyperlink without visiting it etc etc....

Spell checker (in all cocoa apps): cmd-; / cmd-: (on my Norwegian keyboard, some shortcuts varies from country to country).

Searching using Safari with AcidSearch: Define your own shortcuts, Google is opt-cmd-G by default. AcidSearch also supports find-as-you-type (no need for cmd-F).

Searching using Safari without AcidSearch: cmd-L then tab (which was my preferred way even if it was an extra operation) or use the direct shortcut to the search bar, which is opd-cmd-F.

Searching using Firefox: Find-as-you-type built in (on Macs you don't even have to type /) and use cmd-K to access the search engines.

Downloading images: Just drag them onto your Desktop (or any other Finder window), no need for right-click or context menus.

Navigate all controls, bookmarks (in bookmarks bar) and the contents on website, ie links, forms, etc, using the TAB by enabling Full keyboard access in the Keyboard & Mouse prefpane.

Etc etc...

And, in most apps, you can access the context menu with a one-button mouse, too, without touching the ctrl key. Just click and hold, and after a second or so the context menu appears...

The main point: If you're used to the one button you can be just as effective as someone that's used to two buttons... get over it...

And keep your hands above the table, please...

 

[steve_hill4]

How is the scrolling device on the mighty mouse?

Not as comfortable to start with as a proper scroll wheel, but it's good. I think that is more than made up by the configurable one/two buttons and the expose/dashboard/config buttons in the middle, (ball), and squeeze buttons on the side. A very nice mouse to use indeed, especially for switchers.

 

[jefhatfield]

... my left hand isn't just always near the keyboard, it's always ON the keyboard.

yeah, right you pervert

 

[generik]

yeah, right you pervert

I find it difficult to use my left

 

[decksnap]

yeah, right you pervert

Well I am left-handed! I guess that's a bonus?

 

[Morn]

A right click context menu is a lot more intuitive that all these fancy keyboard combinations. I say it again, a right mouse button is easier to use.

However, neither is the same as DOING. That is the hardest part of all, and is rarely if ever accomplished fully (by anybody).

Intel is usually very good at accomplishing their roadmaps....

 

[decksnap]

A right click context menu is a lot more intuitive that all these fancy keyboard combinations. I say it again, a right mouse button is easier to use..

Easier for a beginner? Maybe. Faster? definitely not.

 

[jefhatfield]

Easier for a beginner? Maybe. Faster? definitely not.

it's all what you get used to

easier is relative...for people who learned windows first, mac os x seems difficult to them...heck, i am so used to classic that os x was a hard transition

 

[dmetzcher]

Easier for a beginner? Maybe. Faster? definitely not.

Definitely not according to whom? You? Or me?

 

[Project]

the iBook trackpad is amazing. I already owned a logitech mouse and recently bought a mighty mouse but rarely use them. it pains me to use any other laptop without a mouse - the trackpad is *that* good.

 

[Morn]

Easier for a beginner? Maybe. Faster? definitely not.

A context menus is very fast as it is and is easier to learn regardless of issues of familiarity it's fundamentally more intuitive. It may be faster to press say command-c but you have to factor in the time and extra effect in moving the left arm to the keyboard.

 

[aristobrat]

Is there a way to display the menus with the keyboard to see what the context keys are?

Like in Windows, if you want to see everything under Tools menu, the T is underlined, so you can hit Alt-T to make the whole menu display.

The only way I know how to do this on OS X is to click the Tools menu.