Re: Random thought...

["Dan \"Effugas\" Kaminsky" <effugas best com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Frederick I Gleef <gleef@capital.net>
To: Dan "Effugas" Kaminsky <effugas@best.com>
Cc: Stephan Pfab <pfab@thales.mathematik.uni-ulm.de>;
gnome-gui-list@gnome.org <gnome-gui-list@gnome.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 1:36 PM
Subject: Re: Random thought...


>
>
>On Wed, 12 Aug 1998, Dan "Effugas" Kaminsky wrote:
>> Stephen Pfab wrote:
>> >I would think the numbers a more like 80% 3 buttons.
>>
>> I'll be a teensy bit like Bowie for a second and just say that's really
>> really silly...Linux is mostly x86, and our initial users will be
Linuxers.
>> Even then, dedicated "true unix" stations aren't that many in number.
>>
>> Only VERY recently have we seen the Microsoft Intellimouse give three
>> buttons to users.  Most people have two button mice--I don't really think
I
>> dealt with more than 2 people on campus who had intellimice...
>
>While I agree the 80% estimate is pretty high, I don't understand why you
>assume the Microsoft Intellimouse is the first three button mouse for the
>PC world.  The very first mouse I ever owned was a three button Mouse
>Systems optical mouse, back when Microsoft first got into the mouse
>busienss, when Windows was still in version 1.  Mouse Systems still sells
>primarily three (or more) button PC mice.  Logitech also has always sold
>primarily three button mice.  Long before I ever considered Linux, I was
>making sure that all the mice I bought had three buttons.


I don't assume that the Intellimouse is the first 3 button mouse out there,
but I do state quite plainly that the Intellimouse is the first and only
mouse that has three buttons(in a sense) that has any kind of serious market
penetration, and even that only because of OEM deals.

>>From personal experience, I'd say the number is probably around 30%, with
>heigher numbers among graphics professionals, and lower numbers with
>people who bought their first computer between 6 months and two years ago.


Graphic professionals might have this many, but there aren't all that many
graphic professionals.
As for "first computer", get rid of first.

Fact remains--30% is *wayyyyyy* beyond reality for 3 button mice...look at
all the big OEMs, look at all the little chop shops...I don't think I dealt
with a single 3 buttoner out of all the campus computers I worked on last
year.

That's not to say the mice aren't out there--it's just, man, they're
WAYYYYYY too rare for us to consider in any kind of mandatory(right click)
context.

>>I like the drag-scroll function too.  However, I think that there will be
>application developers who want their own function in the middle.  It
>should be a G3 requirement, not more important than that.


That's just the thing.  The style guide has to prohibit *mandatory
functionality* from entering the middle button.  Perks like scrolling are
great.  I personally have a proposal that will work quite well with the
middle button, or middle wheel, or whatever.

>-Gleef
>
>