Re: fundamentals of the gnome user interface

[sungod <as387 yfn ysu edu>]

Wesley Felter wrote:

> While I fully agree with the single-tasking comment, I have to take issue
> with the mouse comment. I have sat and watched DOS users use Windows (and
> thus a mouse) for the first time, and in many cases it took them hours to
> figure out which button to use. This is contradictory to a self-documenting
> interface (although in this case we're talking about hardware and not
> software). The problem with single-button mice is that you have to go buy a
> new mouse if you want to right-click conveniently.
> 
> But that brings up a good point: Some GNOME users either will not have a
> multi-button mouse (e.g. Apple hardware) or will not understand (and
> possibly not wish to understand) the difference between the mouse buttons.
> Therefore every GNOME app MUST be operable using only one mouse button. (By
> "operable" I mean that the user should have access to every feature of the
> application.) Somebody (Nils?) write this down, quick!

i both agree and disagree: agree about single-button mice; disagree that
it is our job as style guide authors to dictate its usage.

all x servers currently available for macs already offer techniques to
recognize second and third mouse buttons. therefore, i think it is more
important to emphasize good design for usage of a primary mouse button
and emphasize unity for the operation of <secondary1> and <secondary2>
<etc> while the location of <secondary1> or <secondary2>, whether on the
mouse itself or on the keyboard, is irrelevant.

of course, if x eventually dies off and somebody writes a new graphical
server and asks us to write the style guide for how to implement
<secondary1> and <secondary2>, this shall become our job. :)
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