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[openbeos-cdt] Mouseclick options

From: "Meanwhile -" <meanwhile@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: openbeos-cdt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 22:54:26 +0800

Hello,

(What follows has been -for the most part- the content of a thread I started in 
the Haiku forums almost a month ago. 
Being advised to restate my case on the GlassElevator mailinglist, I decided to 
post it there as well as on the Usability mailinglist)

There used to be a BeOS app. -called DoubleClicker- that later got included in 
another BeOS app. called 'UniversalScroller' (rated 8.03 with 61 votes and 
12.045 downloads on BeBits) allowing users to set their mouseclick preferences.
Useful for those who prefer to have a left click function as a double left 
click, for example to reduce the risk of developing RSI-related complaints. 
This UniversalScroller app. can set many more mouse click/-button combinations, 
but 'left-as-double-left' would probably be the one being used most.
 
Beside the fact that UniversalScroller doesn't function in Haiku at the moment, 
I think it would be a good idea to have Haiku provide (some of) 
UniversalScroller's click options.

Justified concerns I've read on the Haiku website about 'where do you click' 
and 'how many (sub)menu's should you use' IMHO fall into the same usability 
category as my concern introduced here: 'how often do you have to click'. 
The difference is that it can't be addressed through UI, but instead asks for 
an extension of Haiku's mouse preferences section.
That alone doesn't make it into something that has nothing -or too little- to 
do with usability, seeing there's a shared starting point of 'no excessive 
clicking'. 

I'm just worried that this may have fallen out of scope until now, perhaps 
because doubleclicking has become an ingrown habit for many yearlong developers.
When you think about it, though, there's really no need to click on a folder 
twice to open it, similar to the lack of need to ring a doorbell twice to be 
noticed.

Doubleclicking not only strains your muscles more than needed, it also slows 
you down (although not by much, but the latter argument may be more appealing 
to some and can also be seen as a usability argument).

Therefore to me, offering the user the extra(!) choice of having a left click 
function as left doubleclick and thus reducing the amount of mouseclicks by up 
to 50% when on Haiku, is significant enough for a future Haiku Release 1.



The 'not (yet) convinced' reading this are kindly asked to consider having a 
testdrive for a week or so, which can take place in BeOS as well as in Windows.

== For BeOS:

Download Universalscroller from http://bebits.com/app/1359 , install it, and 
set it up to have your left mouse click function as a left double click.
   
== For Windows:

There's an option within the OS itself (and has been there since at least 
Windows 98, AFAIK):
Start menu/Control panel/Folder options/Click items as follows...select 'Single 
click to open an item (point to select)'.



Recently I found out what is -very likely- the UniversalScroller developer's 
real name and his working email address and mailed him, asking to have a look 
at Haiku and perhaps even make his app. work in it...

With no reply received yet, it could be this 'nickname-only identified and 
signed' email to him has vanished, marked as Spam, so here's his name and 
address:

Christian Aistleitner
tmgisi@xxxxxx

(Anybody with an email address ending in haiku-os.org is bound to make a better 
impression anyways....)


Finally I want to apologize to those subscribed to both the Glass Elevator and 
the Usability mailinglists for receiving the same email twice.
To make up for that will be my remark that this email has been the last 
occasion bringing this issue to the attention of others...


The mentioned Haiku forum thread is here:
 
http://haiku-os.org/community/forum/single_as_double_click_option
   

Cheers,

Meanwhile 

=


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Follow-Ups:

[openbeos-cdt] Re: Mouseclick options
From: Stephan Assmus

[openbeos-cdt] Re: Mouseclick options
From: DarkWyrm

[openbeos-cdt] Mouseclick options

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