Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uupsi!sugar!peter
From: peter@Sugar.NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: De-macification of the Amiga (Re: The Amiga's Future)
Message-ID: <1991Jun24.094738.29131@Sugar.NeoSoft.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix -- Houston, TX
References: <5338@dirac.physics.purdue.edu> <1991Jun23.150149.16969@Sugar.NeoSoft.com> <5342@dirac.physics.purdue.edu>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1991 09:47:38 GMT

In article <5342@dirac.physics.purdue.edu> sho@gibbs.physics.purdue.edu (Sho Kuwamoto) writes:
> Agreed.  Could you refresh my memory about the standards for mouse
> buttons on the Amiga?  One button brings up the menubar, right?

The two buttons are SELECT and MENU. A third button for ACTIVATE would be
better, but it's too late for that.

In any case, one button brings up the menu bar (or, in my case, menu box...
PopUpMenu should be shipped with the system, dammit), and the other selects
the object to be operated on. Double-clicking is only used as a shortcut for
SELECT-MENU-(select "Open")... and that's what "ACTIVATE" should be for.

> I'd like to know how multiple button mice are
> used on the Amiga, how consistent their use is across different
> programs,

Pretty much all programs use them consistently, except for ports from the
Atari ST and other systems where no standard exists. There's one big exception
that's become a standard: paint programs tend to use the menu button as a
complement-select. That is, when painting the menu button uses an alternate
color.

> and how you find it helps you in getting from point A to point B.

Well, it's quite handy in paint programs and the like not to have to worry
about system gadgets taking up space. For animation software, since it's
going to go straight to video, that's even more important. Since there are
two buttons, you can select a number of menu options at a time and have them
take effect all at once without playing with keyboard shortcuts.

With PopUpMenu you lose the "menu stretch", reaching across a large
display with the mouse to get to the menus.

Basically, it reduces screen clutter and user actions, and speeds up multiple
selections.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'   <peter@sugar.neosoft.com>.
                   'U`    "Have you hugged your wolf today?"
