Five years ago I thought it was tim

[lionelhill]

Five years ago I thought it was time the mouse got upgraded, and it hasn't, so here is where I think the mouse should go in the next five years, in case anyone out there can make it happen.

Please can I have a mouse with brakes? I want a mouse with manual feed-back when I hit the edge of a window. If the window I'm in needs action before I can click anywhere outside the window, it makes no sense to let me go over the edge. Of course you can limit the mouse's movement on screen, but that makes users claustrophobic (been there, done that, and they weren't happy). But if the mouse just resisted when they hit the edge, it might be more useful.

You could even make the mouse lift a little, to simulate running over a bump at the edge.

Which also suggests "rumble-strips" around buttons with desperate consequences (delete everything, close computer etc.)

The technology shouldn't be impossible; play-station vibrating hand-sets are a similar thing.

Tactile feedback would be soooo cool and nice.

So please could someone make this happen in the next 5 years?

 

[lionelhill]

Oops, sorry about the title everyone: I forgot to type one.

 

[Provogeek]

The rumble strips idea could be interesting, more annoying, but still insteasting and easy enough to do.

The border idea, that just puts additional complexity into a simple device. Those brakes to stop mouse movment on the edge of a screen would only work with a ball mouse, not with an optical mouse.

A nice advancment in a mouse would be an optical wireless mouse with much better battery life and more usable buttons. Right now, my corless optical needs new batteries every two weeks, and only has three usable buttons, along with a mouse wheel. The buttons is just design, can be done no biggie, the battery life needs better optics. A dimmer LED that consumes less power with a better light sensore for the dimmer light.

Then there are the frequecies that the cordless devices run on. Right now, only one of my computers can run a cordless Logitec mouse, the other can't because they interfear with each other. The mice already have the ability to change channels, but the manufactures software does not give you the ability to specify the channel you want to use (nor any kind of switch on the device it's self). Give me the ability to change channels on my corless devices so I can use cordless on all my PC's in the home.

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Provogeek
CNE Network+ Experience

Certified nut case

 

[KornGeek]

I say let's do away with the mouse completely. Get me some of those gloves they use in Minority Report. That's a great way to interface with a computer.

 

[manarth]

right up to the point where you wave to your friend through the window and delete the file you were working on...

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[KornGeek]

Window? Since when do programmers get to see the outside world?

 

[lionelhill]

Actually what I really, really want is a screen embedded into my desk-top, and looking very much like a sheet of paper, but a little larger (reasons to follow). In fact a couple of them would be nice.
Then I would have a thing shaped very much like a pencil, with which I would write on the paper.

Text can be neatly sorted into type-face if desired, or left as hand-writing editorial comment, if desired. I choose that using windows-style buttons around the edge of my paper (which is why I want it bigger).

That way, too, if I want to add a little sketch, I can do so.

Of course a keyboard is a good accessory; I can type faster than I can write longhand, so for bigger documents I'd like that option.

In these days of increasing pressure for electronic notebooks, and presentations to be done by powerpoint, I find it increasingly difficult that I can't just jot down a picture to sum up what I'm trying to do.

 

[guestgulkan]

The use of the mouse is somewhat overdone.
The number of times I have watched a user select some onscreen object (eg text) move the mouse all the way to the top of the screen to the edit menu and select copy, move to mouse all the way back to click the insertion point, move the mouse all the way back to the edit menu to make the paste command.

(they could have saved a lot of repetitive wrist movement and time by making use of the CTRL+C and CTRL+V keyboard shotcuts and so on).

 

[Grenage]

I would personally hate a mouse that did that, I detest force-feedback/rumblepacks.

All I want in a mouse is something that gets my pointer from A to B quickly and smoothly, I imagine thats all most people want from a mouse.

 

[manarth]

hmm... vibration-white-finger in addition to RSI!

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[needcoffee]

If you want to be on the cutting edge of mouseless, check out Time Magazine July 21, 2003 article &quot;Who Neds a mouse?&quot; in the Tech section. Already on its way for a low low price of $899 US. Still a bit in its infancy for my taste.

As for the necessity of tactile mice, people just need to pay more attention to how they are using the device. If they can't improve hand-eye coordination I sugest putting a frame around the mouse pad, kind of a corral, so that people can't move the mouse off screen. Or better yet, install electrodes by the palm rest to shock the user when they are to close to the edge. A little negative reinforcement always does the trick and coding sadistic drivers can be fun for the whole famliy.

needcoffee

 

[lionelhill]

In my defense, the whole point of the mouse was to make something that connects a human more directly to the computer; we move our hand around, something moves on the screen, exactly mirroring the movements.

What is less natural than a hand that can't feel?

But I certainly agree that things get far too complicated sometimes (often). And when little wheels appeared on mice suddenly everyone wanted a new computer because theirs hadn't got a little wheel on its mouse. How environmentally friendly is that? Sometimes I wish everything would just stay the same and stop &quot;improving&quot;.

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

 

[Provogeek]

This may be more what your looking for;

http://www.immersion.com/3d/

There was an article in the SFC paper today about a this company using their technology for hand-helds and mice

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Provogeek
CNE Network+ Experience

Certified nut case

 

[lionelhill]

Thanks provogeek, interesting reading.

 

[plastic]

I reckon we should have a 3d OS made, with 3d folders and stuff. Oh yeah, and 3d sound too . And a 3d mouse thing.

 

[petey]

Has anybody invented a wireless mouse that recharges its batteries with electricity generated by friction between the pad and the mouse? That seems like &quot;low hanging fruit&quot; in mouse technology.

Here's my personal idea to replace the mouse: An unobtrusive piece of headgear with an optical sensor (similar to an optical mouse's) that moves the cursor based on turning your head. Then, extra keys on (or near) the keyboard for click, right click, centering the cursor, etc. This way you don't have to reach over to the mouse, which seems like the biggest annoyance of mice. Plus head turning is a more natural way to control a cursor that you have to look at to use.

Petey

http://www.drpeterjones.com/

News and views of some obscure guy

 

[Grenage]

Oh no, heads are far too slow and impresise compared to hands, plus you;d get neck pains and be annoyd VERY quickly.

The trouble with recharging a mouse using friction, is that mice and mats are generally designed to reduce friction. You don't a gaming experience to be like moving a brick across sandpaper

 

[petey]

>> The trouble with recharging a mouse using friction, is that mice and mats are generally designed to reduce friction. You don't a gaming experience to be like moving a brick across sandpaper

If you were powering a flashlight, yes. For a ball mouse producing a weak RF field, the load is small enough it could be generated by a small amount of friction, similar to current mice. Some sort of magnetic grid in the pad and inductive wires embedded in the underside of the mouse would probably do it quite nicely.

Petey

http://www.drpeterjones.com/

News and views of some obscure guy

 

[manarth]

On a usability note - as lionhill says in the opening post - the idea of restricting mouse movement to the appropriate active window has been considered, tried and tested....and it turns out that users feel claustrophobic.

In &quot;The Design of Everyday Things&quot; (ISBN: 0-262-64037-6) Donald Norman suggests that instead of restricting the user's movements (adding corals / electrodes!), a visual cue should be used (such as greying the rest of the screen slightly).

Some sort of physical feedback may be good as a cue, but the vibration could make it harder for a user to control the mouse - let it go and watch the mouse vibrate across the desk! Personally, I'd like to see the day when we can directly interface mentally with computers...bring a new dimension to playing quake!

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]