Why Don't Macs Have A Right Click?

I

iDVFH.

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I completely understand that all the controls are at the top of thge screen and you can still highlight with the mouse. I recently switched over to Mac and I love it but I find myself out of habit trying to right click and I seem to keep on doing it. lol completely stupid post but did anyone else find they did that too? lol :p
 
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you can buy a 2 button mouse.
 
MacAddikt

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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.
Click to expand...
 
Avid6eek

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MacAddikt said:
often made wrong-button errors in using the mouse
Click to expand...
I still haven't had a chance to use OS X very much yet, but I can't think of anything more efficient than right clicking on something and selecting the option. A 2 button mouse is inherently more efficent than a single button mouse if you know what your doing. This appears to be a a way that Apple tries to "stupid-proof" their OS.
 
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?

)(*

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just hold CTRL and click. thats your left click. or just hook up a 2 button mouse.

solves the problem.

although, i have gotten use to the one button mouse and seriously, it doesnt bother me at all.

but when im editing videos, a 2 button mouse is a MUST!
 
Avid6eek

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The scroll wheel is a must....it would be nice if apple would adopt that as well.
 
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I got used to the single button mouse and key board right click etc replacements very fast
 
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If you've ever watched a total newbie (Grandmothers and five-year-olds, for example) try to use a two-button mouse, you'd understand how confusing it can be for them. It takes time to build that "muscle memory" that tells you which button does what. Newbies will click with two fingers, or put their left finger on the right button without looking, or put one finger on both buttons. It's a mess, and very frustrating even to watch.

On the other side of things, let me relate a story...(cue the ripple effect and harp music)...

A while ago, I was editing a large amount of text on a PC. Lots of cutting and pasting, so of course I was using the right mouse button a great deal.

When I got back to my Mac, I wondered about the experience. Why didn't I feel less productive with my one-button mouse? Maybe I'd be better off with a two-button mouse. I decided to pay closer attention to how I'd been working on my Mac.

Eventually, I had another intensive text-editing job to do, this time on my Mac. What I noticed was, instead of the select/rightclick/cut/click/rightclick/paste I did on the PC, I would just select/drag/drop the text on my Mac. I'd never really noticed, because both behaviors were so instinctive on the respective platforms.

My Mac still has a one-button mouse. In fact, i just got one of the Apple Bluetooth wireless mice. The price just came down. :mac:
 
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I also read that Apple were sticking to their one button rodent to make sure that the software programmers didn't take short cuts and put all the options on the right click menu.
I must admit that I had some software on the XP that had a right click menu a mile long and was totally unworkable.
I like the one button mouse but often use a 3 button scroll mac mice one for graphics.
 
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because apple is being a big stubborn jerk. ctrl click just doesn't CUT it. sure i could use a two button mouse on my iBook but it's just one more thing to carry for a laptop
nuts.gif
 
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cadsmn

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When I first got my PowerBook the single button mouse really messed me up, I kept wanting to right click. Eventually I got used to it and acutally feel that is some cases it is faster than right clicking. For me the I think the best thing about the single button mouse is when my 3 year old plays his games on my PB. When he plays the same games on my PC his fingers tend to gravitate towards the right mouse button and he is unable to play the game properly. He quickly becomes frustrated. The single button mouse is much easier for him to use. I have considered purchasing a single button mouse for my PC just so he can play his games easier. Do they make single button mice for the PC?
 
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Phiber

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Right clicking in programs such as Adobe Photoshop is completely ineffecient.

That said, on my PC I have a six button trackball. I couldn't live without it. Much more effecient than a 'normal' mouse. I still use the keyboard shortcuts in PS and such, but for games it can't be beat.
 
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I

iDVFH.

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cadsmn said:
When I first got my PowerBook the single button mouse really messed me up, I kept wanting to right click. Eventually I got used to it and acutally feel that is some cases it is faster than right clicking. For me the I think the best thing about the single button mouse is when my 3 year old plays his games on my PB. When he plays the same games on my PC his fingers tend to gravitate towards the right mouse button and he is unable to play the game properly. He quickly becomes frustrated. The single button mouse is much easier for him to use. I have considered purchasing a single button mouse for my PC just so he can play his games easier. Do they make single button mice for the PC?
Click to expand...

My mother also has a laptop but she decided to get a Vaio and she's the same as me, she needs a mouse. Right now I'm using the touchpad because I'm in my living room instead of my computer desk. She purchased a mouse with a one click by accident. For Mac it's easier I guess with the one click but for what she does with her laptop she needs a right click (she works from home) So I'm guessing it's really all about what your using your computer for.-DV
 
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I personally am getting to like the one-button mouse more and more. The one place I run into problems is in games like NWN where it's a port and so I have to look up how to do right-click (ctrl is used for something else). What I DO think would be a really, really good idea, and would make a lot of money for them, is for Griffin Technology to allow the click on the PowerMate to be a ctrl-click option.
 
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titan0111

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technologist said:
If you've ever watched a total newbie (Grandmothers and five-year-olds, for example) try to use a two-button mouse, you'd understand how confusing it can be for them. It takes time to build that "muscle memory" that tells you which button does what. Newbies will click with two fingers, or put their left finger on the right button without looking, or put one finger on both buttons. It's a mess, and very frustrating even to watch.

On the other side of things, let me relate a story...(cue the ripple effect and harp music)...

A while ago, I was editing a large amount of text on a PC. Lots of cutting and pasting, so of course I was using the right mouse button a great deal.

When I got back to my Mac, I wondered about the experience. Why didn't I feel less productive with my one-button mouse? Maybe I'd be better off with a two-button mouse. I decided to pay closer attention to how I'd been working on my Mac.

Eventually, I had another intensive text-editing job to do, this time on my Mac. What I noticed was, instead of the select/rightclick/cut/click/rightclick/paste I did on the PC, I would just select/drag/drop the text on my Mac. I'd never really noticed, because both behaviors were so instinctive on the respective platforms.

My Mac still has a one-button mouse. In fact, i just got one of the Apple Bluetooth wireless mice. The price just came down. :mac:
Click to expand...
Why didn't you use ctrl-x, ctrl-c, and ctrl-v ?
 
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Right Clicker

DV'SiBOOKG4 said:
I completely understand that all the controls are at the top of thge screen and you can still highlight with the mouse. I recently switched over to Mac and I love it but I find myself out of habit trying to right click and I seem to keep on doing it. lol completely stupid post but did anyone else find they did that too? lol :p
Click to expand...


Totally! I can't stop trying to right click. I'm new to Mac and loving it but it's taking some getting used to. Perhaps I'll look through this forum and some other Mac sites to get some helpful tips and hints.
 
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robbym said:
Totally! I can't stop trying to right click. I'm new to Mac and loving it but it's taking some getting used to.
Click to expand...

Plug in a USB mouse with as many buttons as you want, oh and scroll wheels if that's what rocks your cradle. OSX will quite happily make use of them.

For a while I had a seven button + scroll wheel Logitech wireless trackerball thingy, it worked fine with OSX and I had all the buttons and combinations of buttons mapped to all sorts of weird uses (great for Final Cut) but got bored with it and went back to the Apple one button job. Apart from when I am editing video I don't find it any less productive and a lot easier than the trackerball.

Amen-Moses
 
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I never really noticed much of a difference to be honest, one-button seems perfectly natural to me.
 
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Is it a Mac?

Amen-Moses said:
Plug in a USB mouse with as many buttons as you want, oh and scroll wheels if that's what rocks your cradle. OSX will quite happily make use of them.

For a while I had a seven button + scroll wheel Logitech wireless trackerball thingy, it worked fine with OSX and I had all the buttons and combinations of buttons mapped to all sorts of weird uses (great for Final Cut) but got bored with it and went back to the Apple one button job. Apart from when I am editing video I don't find it any less productive and a lot easier than the trackerball.

Amen-Moses
Click to expand...

I understand that there are any number of multi-button devices I could use but doesn't that defeat the purpose of using a Mac in the first place? Also as a powerbook user I prefer to use the built in mouse. Besides I'm looking forward to the adjustment and learning all I can about Mac.
 

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