One button mouse theory

)(* · Jan 3, 2005

back before microsoft and Macitosh got big. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made a bet that Steve Jobs could build a company with only one mouse button.

what do you think?

mynameis · Jan 3, 2005

I thought they stuck with the one mouse button because they believed a good user would only require one.

s_i_t_h_l_o_r_d · Jan 3, 2005

Screw the one button & give us an ipod scroll wheel feature on a bluetooth mouse complete with a rechargable dock.

MacAddikt · Jan 3, 2005

Articles from Jef Raskin (creator of the Macintosh project) about the history of the Macintosh

While I was the first PARC-savvy person at Apple, Larry Tesler was the first PARC employee to join the company. At first he was strongly opposed to the Mac's easier-to-use mouse methods, and I eventually wrote a memo that showed, point by point, that the one-button mouse could do everything that PARCs three-button mouse could do and with the same number or fewer user actions. It was faster and more efficient, and much easier to learn and remember how to use. I had observed that people (including myself) at PARC often made wrong-button errors in using the mouse, which was part of my impetus for doing better.

technologist · Jan 4, 2005

MacAddikt said:
Articles from Jef Raskin (creator of the Macintosh project) about the history of the Macintosh

Amen. :mac:

Gar · Feb 2, 2005

i must say that since i switched about 4 months ago the one button is the only thing that does bother me.the only thing i dont find better

Omar · Feb 2, 2005

http://www.dvforge.com/themousebt.shtml

Avid6eek · Feb 2, 2005

I wouldn't have even purchased a Mac if it didn't support the scroll wheel. I'm glad the Powerbooks finally support the scroll feature. You don't really need 2 mouse buttons in OS X, but a scroll wheel will make you much more efficient.

Jefe3223 · Feb 2, 2005

I'm a mega one button fan. The last mouse I used (other than on my mac) had FIVE buttons on it! I clicked around for, like, twenty min. trying to figure out what some of them did. I eventually gave up and did my work...but it is nice to see a scroll wheel, i've always liked that little thing.

dan828 · Feb 2, 2005

The single button mouse is the biggest minus that I see with the Mac. With the stock Apple mouse I feel like I'm missing a finger (no second button) and I hate not having a scroll wheel. Seeing as just about anyone can adapt to a two button mouse with scroll wheel among PC users the arguments about becoming confused or that a single button is better are pretty silly. I don't know anyone inept enough not to be able to figure out a standard PC mouse in a few minutes. And seeing as all the standard functions of the two buttons are mimiced by ctrl- or command- clicks how can you even say it's a problem?

The single button mouse is the first thing I'll replace.

Underbelly · Feb 2, 2005

I find this thread rather silly. Does is matter? I've used a Mac mouse from the late 80's until now and that is what I am confortable with. I'm sure if I used a 2 button mouse for that long, I'd feel just as confortable. I'd never attempt to convince any of my 2 button mouse user friends to use a 1 button mouse. It would be like telling them to wear my shoes even if it hurts their feet. Sure, I could say, you'll get use to it but why should they.

Use whatever the heck you want.

stillimation · Feb 2, 2005

it realy does not bug me at all, i use a Mac at work and a PC(hopefully going to change soon)at home and i work between them fine. it is all a mind state for me, i know that i am on a mac so i need to hit control and vice versa.

dan828 · Feb 2, 2005

Underbelly said:
I find this thread rather silly. Does is matter? I've used a Mac mouse from the late 80's until now and that is what I am confortable with. I'm sure if I used a 2 button mouse for that long, I'd feel just as confortable. I'd never attempt to convince any of my 2 button mouse user friends to use a 1 button mouse. It would be like telling them to wear my shoes even if it hurts their feet. Sure, I could say, you'll get use to it but why should they.

Use whatever the heck you want.

Actually I'm in agreement. I just wanted to chime in with my own valuable opinion for the enlightenment of others

. Obviously it's a preference thing, but arguing that two or more buttons is confusing is just silly. I mean I use a five button thumb trackball with a scroll wheel out of preference and feel incredibly confined by the little clear plastic mouse that ships with new Macs, but to each his own.

And actually, I've heard Apple has stuck with the single button mouse, even though OSX works fine with multi-button mice, because it forces developers not to go overboard with the context menus (as is know to happen with windows apps).

Meyvn · Feb 2, 2005

Holy crap, did anyone look at that The Mouse BT link? It's bootiful. I'm so tempted by it.

Amen-Moses · Feb 2, 2005

stillimation said:
it realy does not bug me at all, i use a Mac at work and a PC(hopefully going to change soon)at home and i work between them fine. it is all a mind state for me, i know that i am on a mac so i need to hit control and vice versa.

Ditto, I use other nix's at work with 3 button mice, PCs with 2 button & two button plus scroller and at home PCs and Macs with everything from one button to 7 button trackerball with button scroller. I don't particularly find any of them easier to use although Final Cut with the trackerball is sublime.

Amen-Moses

Meyvn · Feb 2, 2005

I have that generally, but I think now that I've seen it I'm going with that MacMice BT product. It's so sweet looking. I've just now dug out my old PC Logitech optical wireless to get used to scrolling on the mouse and the right click again. Kinda nice to go back to it, even if it is unsightly for the time being. It really is a very very well made mouse. It scrolls infinitely better than my PowerMate, and the recharging dock is pretty darned useful. It tracks much faster than the normal Apple mouse, so I had to turn tracking down lower. Can't wait to see this new The Mouse BT thing now, though. I'll have to post a review once I get it.

Xarthan · Feb 3, 2005

Jefe3223 said:
I'm a mega one button fan. The last mouse I used (other than on my mac) had FIVE buttons on it! I clicked around for, like, twenty min. trying to figure out what some of them did. I eventually gave up and did my work...but it is nice to see a scroll wheel, i've always liked that little thing.

LOL I really hope your joking about the 20 mins thing, cauz you can just find out what each button does in the config, else......

Meyvn · Feb 3, 2005

Xarthan said:
LOL I really hope your joking about the 20 mins thing, cauz you can just find out what each button does in the config, else......

Five buttons isn't that much anyway. My PC mouse has seven, and they're all fairly functionally obvious. One is the button ON the scroll mouse, which in Windows, simply puts this compasslike thing in the middle of the screen where you drag the mouse around to where you want to go. TWo more, on either side of teh scroll wheel, are scrolling buttons, which in the long and short of it, all three of these buttons simply provide a different WAY to scroll. Then, you have the right and left click, and then there's two on the left side of the mouse, for forward and back on the browser. On Mac however, all of these buttons except right and left click and the scroll up and down buttons will do random, weird things, like, they'll highlight the window you click on in certain programs, and not others. One helpful thing I've noticed that they do is, when you click on a link, automatically open a link in a new TAB, which is very functionally useful. I'm hoping that the MacMice The Mouse BT will have this function on its extra button (the one where you press down the scroll mouse.

flyingpostman · Feb 4, 2005

I don't think the MacMouse is all that great. I bought the wired version and it looks good and all, but the quality isn't there. The buttons feel very cheap and don't click nicely and feels uncomfortable on your fingers. When you lift the mouse there is a 2mm play in the shell that will rock up and down (on the front of the mouse), this makes the mouse feel really cheap. The scroll wheel is very loose, whether you like this or not is up to you. The Apple mouse may only be one button, but it is very high quality.

Myself I have realized that it is much easier on my carpel tunnel with only one button. I can click the mouse with a few fingers. The scroll wheel plays havoc on my lower arm. So i'm better off without it as much as its convenient.

Jefe3223 · Feb 4, 2005

Meyvn said:
Five buttons isn't that much anyway. My PC mouse has seven, and they're all fairly functionally obvious. One is the button ON the scroll mouse, which in Windows, simply puts this compasslike thing in the middle of the screen where you drag the mouse around to where you want to go. TWo more, on either side of teh scroll wheel, are scrolling buttons, which in the long and short of it, all three of these buttons simply provide a different WAY to scroll. Then, you have the right and left click, and then there's two on the left side of the mouse, for forward and back on the browser. On Mac however, all of these buttons except right and left click and the scroll up and down buttons will do random, weird things, like, they'll highlight the window you click on in certain programs, and not others. One helpful thing I've noticed that they do is, when you click on a link, automatically open a link in a new TAB, which is very functionally useful. I'm hoping that the MacMice The Mouse BT will have this function on its extra button (the one where you press down the scroll mouse.

Well I'll be danged. I never knew that's what those did. Thank you for clearing that up.

One button mouse theory

)(*

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mynameis

s_i_t_h_l_o_r_d

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MacAddikt

technologist

Gar

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Omar

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dan828

Underbelly

stillimation

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Amen-Moses

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Xarthan

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