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10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

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Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#61
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but his problem actually points to this being a problem for anyone. It becomes a problem when the machine requires all of my dexterity just to accomplish a given task. I dislike all Apple products specifically because they require mouse operations to accomplish things where Linux and MS interfaces tend to have keyboard shortcuts.

In my experience, OSX has much better thought-out keyboard shortcuts than Windows does. A simple example: you'd like to force-kill the focused application. In OSX, you type command-option-esc (one hand), return, return (other hand). I don't know what it is in Vita, but in XP, it would require quite a bit of mousework.

The folks who say the Macintosh has better short-cuts don't get the fact that in Windows you can do anything with the keyboard, on the Macintosh, there are many things which you cannot do with the keyboard.

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can think in several counter examples: In mac os x, - how to show the desktop with a keyboard shortcut ? - how to maximize/minimize/restore a window with a keyboard shortcut (on windows you can press Alt+spacebar, and then x/n/r) ? - how to efficiently copy/move files in finder with a keyboard shortcut ? - how is better thought the fact that when you are in finder and then you press enter, you are going to rename a…

"In mac os x, - how to show the desktop with a keyboard shortcut ?" F11 "- how to maximize/minimize/restore a window with a keyboard shortcut (on windows you can press Alt+spacebar, and then x/n/r) ?" There is no such thing as maximize in OS X. Minimize is command + m. I'm not sure how to restore with the keyboard. "- how to efficiently copy/move files in finder with a keyboard shortcut ?" Command + c is copy and com…

You can restore (in Snow Leopard, at least) by activating Expose, using the arrow keys to select the minimized window, and pressing Enter. It's not as simple if you've hidden the application's window set with Command+H, however (I still don't understand the purpose of that shortcut myself.)

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#64
Like this example of bold but concrete thinking on a future computing metaphor.

Two of the concepts seem very heavily Palm Pre-inspired: The window management scheme (reminiscent of 'cards') and the gesture areas on each side, one of which is used to launch apps just like the Pre

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#65

Emacs is a 10 finger multi-touch UI. And it works very well.

Multi-touch is right. A roommate once told me about a guy he knew who rigged up foot-pedal modifier keys to increase his Emacs productivity. And this was in the PS2 heyday! (No flames. I was an avid Emacs user in College & grad school.)

I think Bill Clementson uses these: http://bc.tech.coop/blog/060131.html

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#66

Emacs is a 10 finger multi-touch UI. And it works very well.

Multi-touch is right. A roommate once told me about a guy he knew who rigged up foot-pedal modifier keys to increase his Emacs productivity. And this was in the PS2 heyday! (No flames. I was an avid Emacs user in College & grad school.)

Foot pedals are indeed an excellent idea. There don't seem to be any available on the market that are programmable under non-Windows-XP, however, and I have not had the chance to build my own yet.

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#67
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the end of the video you can see the multitouch device integrated with a keyboard. :)

it seems like the touch system should be able detect where your main 4 fingers are, and then show a rough virtual keyboard in its space with your 8 fingers on the home row automatically. The only thing lacking would be tactile feedback, but that's solvable. If people are accustomed to seeing the 10 dots representing the fingers, it should be easy to provide small visual cues to indicate if you're about to type a lett…

I type 80+ words a minute regularly. It would be insanely difficult to type at that speed without the little nubs on f and j keys, as well as the tactile feedback as fingers slide over keys preparing for what they're going to be typing next.

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#68
post #31

As for a keyboard, why not have the virtual buttons relative to where the the fingers are placed? As in, place all eight fingers onto the pad and this automatically becomes home row. Simply strike above and below home row. Depending on the finger you moved, it'll know the key you're striking. I rarely have more than one finger off home row, per hand, when typing. You heard it here first.

was thinking the same thing. i think i've something similar before, and something tells me it may not be practical.

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#69
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"In mac os x, - how to show the desktop with a keyboard shortcut ?" F11 "- how to maximize/minimize/restore a window with a keyboard shortcut (on windows you can press Alt+spacebar, and then x/n/r) ?" There is no such thing as maximize in OS X. Minimize is command + m. I'm not sure how to restore with the keyboard. "- how to efficiently copy/move files in finder with a keyboard shortcut ?" Command + c is copy and com…

You can restore (in Snow Leopard, at least) by activating Expose, using the arrow keys to select the minimized window, and pressing Enter. It's not as simple if you've hidden the application's window set with Command+H, however (I still don't understand the purpose of that shortcut myself.)

It's not that much more complicated to show a hidden app - Ctl+F3 to activate the Dock, use the arrow keys to select the App and hit return.

Re: 10 finger multi-touch UI designed to replace the mouse

#70
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, OSX has much better thought-out keyboard shortcuts than Windows does. A simple example: you'd like to force-kill the focused application. In OSX, you type command-option-esc (one hand), return, return (other hand). I don't know what it is in Vita, but in XP, it would require quite a bit of mousework.

The folks who say the Macintosh has better short-cuts don't get the fact that in Windows you can do anything with the keyboard, on the Macintosh, there are many things which you cannot do with the keyboard.

Respectfully, it seems like every time I see this comment it's from a Windows power user who's not that familiar with OS X - can you please provide an example?
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