Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Magic Mouse review

Magic Mouse review
Thread Tools
Eug
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 12:41 PM
 
Apple Magic Mouse Review - Magic mouse review - Gizmodo

No mention of Expose. I have a sinking feeling it's not supported. I hope I'm wrong.

They do say that right-clicking is the same as before (which if true is a disappointment), and two-finger swipes are pretty awkward because it's hard to hold the mouse and swipe it at the same time. Not ergonomic.

You can't tell which side is front and which side is back, because it's too symmetrical. You just have to try it to see which side is which.
     
0157988944
Professional Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 05:27 PM
 
There's a big apple logo on the front, so that really shouldn't be an issue.
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 05:41 PM
 
Yes I see that now.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 05:49 PM
 
The article did specify "BY TOUCH" - which, if you remember, was the single biggest issue with the puck mouse.

As for ergonomics - I really don't get that point.

I HATE mice that are too big. I always have my wrist resting on the desk and move the mouse with my fingers (which is why I never had a problem with the puck mouse). Those stupid "ergonomic" mice always force you to cramp up your entire arm to do minute maneuvering of a tiny pointer on a screen, because they insist your entire hand rest on the damn thing.

This mouse looks pretty much perfect.
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 05:57 PM
 
I had a huge problem with the puck mouse. You had to look at it see its orientation.

You don't have to have a very specific design in mind to be ergonomic, but do see a relatively flat pointy mouse being pretty annoying to a lot of people. I won't comment on ergonomics myself until I try it though.

I'm just more concerned it will be more gimmicky than functional, sort of like the Mighty Mouse.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 06:02 PM
 
The Mighty Mouse was extremely functional - nobody else had horizontal scrolling back then, IIRC.

The fact that Apple had moved twenty years' worth of mouse-ball trouble into the most exposed position on the mouse didn't become apparent until later.
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 06:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
The Mighty Mouse was extremely functional - nobody else had horizontal scrolling back then, IIRC.
Actually they did. One mouse I had had a scroll wheel which could be tilted sideways. I thought it was useless and poorly implemented though.

The fact that Apple had moved twenty years' worth of mouse-ball trouble into the most exposed position on the mouse didn't become apparent until later.
I noticed mouse-ball trouble within the first couple of weeks of usage, and it was way worse than track balls, I guess due to the size of the ball or something.

Anyways, the right click method on the Mighty Mouse is the part I was calling gimmicky. I hate it, and thus never use it. I'd rather just have a button, but the glass trackpad right click method is pretty decent.
     
OAW
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 06:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Apple Magic Mouse Review - Magic mouse review - Gizmodo

No mention of Expose. I have a sinking feeling it's not supported. I hope I'm wrong.

They do say that right-clicking is the same as before (which if true is a disappointment), and two-finger swipes are pretty awkward because it's hard to hold the mouse and swipe it at the same time. Not ergonomic.
I agree that Expose doesn't appear to be supported by the Magic Mouse in its current incarnation. Hopefully a software update will enable it. Having said that, no where in the article does it say that the right click works the same as the MIghty Mouse. It just says that you can right click. The million dollar question is do you have to remove your left finger from the surface or the Magic Mouse to register as a right click. The article doesn't address this question specifically anywhere that I saw. Hopefully that's not the case ....

OAW
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 06:13 PM
 
If you watch the Magic Mouse video on Apple's site, it says that you click in the upper right corner for a right click. No mention of lifting a finger, and it doesn't look like you need to, either.


@Eug: I still think that the right-click function on the Mighty Mouse was the brilliant part, and it's obvious that being able to do it that way is the only reason they could build a multi-button mouse AT ALL.

Apple needs to default to a single mouse-button, because that's the only way to FORCE developers to assume that Joe Average only has one button, and that EVERYTHING he needs to be able to do MUST be available from the menu bar.

So they HAD to have a mouse that they could ship as a single-button mouse by default without having multiple buttons moulded/cut into it that would confuse users.

(Why on earth they apparently changed defaults at some point to include that retarded Exposé default etc. is completely beyond me.)
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 21, 2009, 06:15 PM
 
I interpreted this as meaning it was the same, but perhaps the comma means it could be different.

"It has both right and left clicks, like the Mighty Mouse"


Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
I still think that was the brilliant part, and it's obvious that being able to do it that way is the only reason they could build a multi-button mouse AT ALL.

Apple needs to default to a single mouse-button, because that's the only way to FORCE developers to assume that Joe Average only has one button, and that EVERYTHING he needs to be able to do MUST be available from the menu bar.

So they HAD to have a mouse that they could ship as a single-button mouse by default without having multiple buttons moulded/cut into it that would confuse users.

(Why on earth they apparently changed defaults at some point to include that retarded Exposé default etc. is completely beyond me.)
Well, that ship has long since sailed.

OS X fundamentally needs a right click or CTRL click IMHO. This is not true with all pre-OS X Mac OSes though.
     
lpkmckenna
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Toronto
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 22, 2009, 01:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
If you watch the Magic Mouse video on Apple's site, it says that you click in the upper right corner for a right click. No mention of lifting a finger, and it doesn't look like you need to, either.
If you watch the video at Gizmodo (I can't see the Apple video at work ) you can clearly see the user lift his left finger before clicking with his right.

BTW, the fact that Apple is marketing ctrl-scroll to zoom as a feature of the Magic Mouse is pure bunk. It's a feature of the OS, and works with every scroll mouse. Cheap marketing ploy to exploit dimwits.
     
stevesnj
Mac Elite
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Southern, NJ (near Philly YO!)
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2009, 01:10 PM
 
Just use hot corners
MacBook Pro 15" i7 ~ Snow Leopard ~ iPhone 4 - 16Gb
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2009, 01:37 PM
 
Macworld Magic Mouse review

Multi-Touch works smoothly on the Magic Mouse, but it doesn’t feel more advantageous or worse than a scrollball.

The Magic Mouse doesn’t offer Exposé access. When I asked Apple representatives if it was possible to offer Exposé access in a future driver revision, the response wasn’t yes or no, but to suggest using an F-key on the keyboard.

When you right- or left-click the Magic Mouse, the whole top of the mouse presses down and there’s an audible click sound. Despite the lack of delineation between the two buttons, I never inadvertently clicked the mouse or clicked the wrong button.

And as mentioned earlier, there’s no scrollball button. On the Apple Mouse, the scrollball button is set to launch Dashboard by default. As with Exposé, Apple recommends using an F-key to launch Dashboard.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2009, 03:16 PM
 
Yes, they removed the two most annoying "whoops" features of the old mouse, and made the scrolling dirt-resistant. All in all excellent news.
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2009, 03:47 PM
 
Apart from all these reports that when people try to use multi-touch gestures they move the mouse around...
     
OAW
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: May 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2009, 11:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
Apart from all these reports that when people try to use multi-touch gestures they move the mouse around...
I believe people are "manhandling" this mouse because they are used to doing that with other mice. A LIGHT TOUCH is all that's needed. You do NOT need to try to hold the Magic Mouse when swiping to navigate back and forth in Safari for instance. All you need to do is make contact with one or two fingers and do the appropriate motion for it to register. I did this myself and the mouse didn't move on me at all. This mouse is designed to be moved and controlled with your FINGERS (hence, "multi-touch") ... it is NOT designed to be gripped in the palm of your hand. Once people realize that and adjust accordingly it is simply a breeze to use.

OAW
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 03:51 AM
 
My guess is that many people who are having this problem don't want to have to handle a mouse with their fingers only. It's very likely they prefer having a firm grasp on their mouse while using it.

Personally I like the idea of having something like a multi-touch trackpad on my mouse because of all the potential extra control I could get. But seeing that Apple has basically only included one extra besides scrolling, I wonder if their effort was in vane. With the mouse doing hardly more than scrolling, I get the suspicion this mouse attempts to solve a non-existant problem. I so far cannot see any added value over very robust and high-quality mice from other manufacturers that do scrolling just fine today albeit with much less complexity and at a substantially lower cost.
( Last edited by Simon; Oct 29, 2009 at 03:59 AM. )
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 04:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
Apart from all these reports that when people try to use multi-touch gestures they move the mouse around...
Apple has ALWAYS built mice for people who leave their wrist resting on the table and move the mouse between their fingers, rather than having the entire hand rest on the mouse and moving the whole arm.

People who prefer the latter will have hated pretty much every Apple mouse since the original 128k Macintosh/Mac Plus mouse, and they will hate the Magic Mouse.

The rest will be happy.
     
EndlessMac
Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 06:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
Personally I like the idea of having something like a multi-touch trackpad on my mouse because of all the potential extra control I could get.
It's interesting that you said this because I like the combination I have when I attach my mouse to my MBP. The trackpad is my multi-touch device while my mouse is used for fine precise movements like editing in Photoshop. It's also good for when I use my mouse a lot such as for gaming because my arm doesn't tire as quickly as my finger. So far for me that's the best solution. If you only have a desktop then I can see the appeal of this mouse. I might give the magic mouse a try sometime in the future but if it doesn't work that well as a mouse first then the whole multi-touch gestures isn't much of a selling point for me. It's like when I buy a smart phone, it has to be a good phone first and then everything extra is a welcomed addition instead of a gimmick.

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Apple has ALWAYS built mice for people who leave their wrist resting on the table and move the mouse between their fingers, rather than having the entire hand rest on the mouse and moving the whole arm.
Well if that's true then it would explain why I haven't really liked Apple mouses.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 06:13 PM
 
I'm just surprised most people don't seem to realise this.

It's the only reason the puck mouse was even possible, and it's why the Magic Mouse is about half the height of the previous mouse.
     
EndlessMac
Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 06:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
I'm just surprised most people don't seem to realise this.
I guess if kept my Apple mouses for more than two days then I might have realized it too. So far I keep going back to my basic Logitech mouse.
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2009, 09:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Apple has ALWAYS built mice for people who leave their wrist resting on the table and move the mouse between their fingers, rather than having the entire hand rest on the mouse and moving the whole arm.

People who prefer the latter will have hated pretty much every Apple mouse since the original 128k Macintosh/Mac Plus mouse, and they will hate the Magic Mouse.

The rest will be happy.
Nope. I leave my arm on the table and move the mouse with my fingers... and I generally prefer Microsoft and Logitech mice.
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2009, 04:16 AM
 
Same here. My arm and wrist rest on the table. I move my mouse with my fingers only. But I have yet to see a single Apple mouse that performs as well as the $20 Logitech LX3 I'm using right now.
     
iJeff
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Mar 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2009, 12:17 PM
 
Just received my Magic Mouse from Apple today. It is encased in a nice transparent casing. It is so sleek and sexy, loving it!







( Last edited by iJeff; Oct 31, 2009 at 01:04 AM. )
     
GlobalNomad
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2009, 06:59 PM
 
I can't scroll with my Magic Mouse.
This is some what upsetting.

I have installed the software that it recommends.
My system preferences panel doesn't have a scroll option.
ARG! what have I done wrong?
     
GlobalNomad
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2009, 09:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by GlobalNomad View Post
I can't scroll with my Magic Mouse.
This is some what upsetting.

I have installed the software that it recommends.
My system preferences panel doesn't have a scroll option.
ARG! what have I done wrong?
Turns out this was because I had usb-overdrive installed...
     
mkerr64
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 12:05 AM
 
Mine laggs quite a bit and its getting kind of annoying, even after the update.
any ideas what the problem could be?
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 10:07 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Not ergonomic.
Apple's never been terribly big on ergonomics. The only Apple keyboards I've ever been able to use are recent laptop and aluminum keyboards. Every other one I've replaced with a Logitech or Microsoft keyboard whenever possible.
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 10:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by GlobalNomad View Post
Turns out this was because I had usb-overdrive installed...
The Magic Mouse is broken by USB Overdrive?
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 10:14 AM
 
Originally Posted by mkerr64 View Post
Mine laggs quite a bit and its getting kind of annoying, even after the update.
any ideas what the problem could be?
Reading GlobalNomad's post, it sounds as though the Magic Mouse might have compatibility issues with some third party software.
     
amazing
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 11:02 AM
 
I agree that the extreme pincer grip has got to be not very ergonomic--still, it'll affect some 'sensitive' users more than others.

What I don't understand is why Apple hasn't developed a bluetooth multi-touch trackpad that supports all the same Apple multi-touch gestures? How hard could that be? It could be the same size as the current MBP trackpad, just adding in bluetooth.

To me, that would be cool and would sell like hotcakes for people who want the same trackpad on their desktop as on their laptop.

Wacom has a touchpad but it only supports 2 finger gestures. Plus, it's huge and USB. No way...
     
mkerr64
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 12:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by Wiskedjak View Post
Reading GlobalNomad's post, it sounds as though the Magic Mouse might have compatibility issues with some third party software.
I deleted my usb overdrive and steermouse and still have the same issue.
is there a way to ensure they are completely off of my computer?
i simply used app zapper to get rid of usb overdrive, and right clicked on steermouse from preferences.
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
angelmb
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Automatic
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 01:22 PM
 
How to uninstall SteerMouse

Start the SteerMouse application from the System Preferences and select the 'Uninstall...' from the help menu.

If the SteerMouse application does not start or you cannot find it, move /Library/Receipts/SteerMouse.pkg to the trash and install SteerMouse again.
     
mkerr64
Senior User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2009, 06:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by angelmb View Post
How to uninstall SteerMouse

Start the SteerMouse application from the System Preferences and select the 'Uninstall...' from the help menu.

If the SteerMouse application does not start or you cannot find it, move /Library/Receipts/SteerMouse.pkg to the trash and install SteerMouse again.
Great Thanks allot
it runs much smoother. i guess i didnt properly uninstall the programs
R.I.P Steve Jobs
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 10:45 AM
 
Grabbed a Magic Mouse yesterday.

Likes:
- 360° scroll is really nice
- right-clicking finally works well
- slim is really nice for travel
- it doesn't feel uncomfortable. I'll report back again after using it for a work day.

Dislikes:
- scroll-zoom isn't anything new. Holding ctrl to zoom the screen while scrolling will work on any mouse. (and really, Apple's "just hold crtl or command to do X" has always annoyed me. That isn't "it just works")
- two-finger swipe only works in Safari and iPhoto
- the edges are a little sharp for comfort
- no middle-mouse button (which I use quite a bit in browsers to open links into new tabs).

Wants:
- programmable "buttons"
- more multi-touch functionality. Having multi-touch limited to 1 action in 2 applications reduces it to being a gimmick at best.
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 10:47 AM
 
No middle-click? WTF? To me that's a total deal killer.
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 10:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
No middle-click? WTF? To me that's a total deal killer.
Well, it's taken Apple forever to acknowledge that right-click exists. Their collective brain probably explodes when they think "What?!? There's a THIRD mouse button???". I don't even want to mention my 8-button Logitech.
[/sarcasm]

I'm hoping middle-click gets added as a gesture or perhaps as a 2-finger click through an update. But, I'm not *that* hopeful. More likely someone else will release some hack for it. The Magic Mouse is begging for hacks, which is probably what attracted me to it.
( Last edited by Wiskedjak; Nov 1, 2009 at 11:00 AM. )
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 11:34 AM
 
Originally Posted by Wiskedjak View Post
Well, it's taken Apple forever to acknowledge that right-click exists. Their collective brain probably explodes when they think "What?!? There's a THIRD mouse button???". I don't even want to mention my 8-button Logitech.
True. Apple didn't implement contextual menus out of the box until System 8, in 1997.

It took them until 2005 to figure out how to build a multi-button mouse that could ship pre-configured by default as a one-button mouse.
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 11:37 AM
 
IMHO middle-click is not just some fancy gimmick like an extra Exposé or Dashboard button. For anybody who uses X11 middle-click is an essential tool. And since Apple has acknowledged X11 use under OS X, I'm surprised they have managed to release a mouse that's basically incompatible with X11 right off the bat.

The irony is that the Mighty Mouse was actually ahead here.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 11:44 AM
 
While that's true, X11 is a LOT less essential to the standard user than even the context click is.

I'm not even a "dumb" home user, and I think the only time I've EVER used X11 on my machine was a brief test of OpenOffice or something, six or seven years ago? (It sucked, so I dropped it until a native version was available. That still sucks, but at least it doesn't need a lengthy set-up song and dance.)
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 11:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
True. Apple didn't implement contextual menus out of the box until System 8, in 1997.
Contextual menus =! Right Click

Sure, Apple has had contextual menus for awhile. But, it's always been easier to *access* those menus with third party mice. Why Apple needed to sacrifice usability in favor of maintaining a single-button mouse is beyond me. Clearly they're having as much difficulty in figuring out how to do a third button on the Magic Mouse.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 12:11 PM
 
A single-button mouse IS a usability BENEFIT.

Apple isn't about practical complexity, though they'll gladly support it if your advanced workflows will benefit from it.

Why is this so difficult to grasp?
     
lpkmckenna
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Toronto
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 01:32 PM
 
I have to believe that Magic Mouse's limited functionality is related to its simultaeous product release with the iMac - they weren't finished with the software implementation. Simply the fact that swipes only work with two programs (!) points to that.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 02:04 PM
 
I'm inclined to agree. Who knows, though - the swiping takes getting a hang of as it is.
     
Wiskedjak
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Calgary
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 04:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
A single-button mouse IS a usability BENEFIT.
Not when you need to remember extra and non-discoverable keystrokes to unlock standard functionality.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 04:36 PM
 
There is no need to do so - that's the whole point of making a single-button setup the default!

It *forces* developers to assume that everything a user has to be able to do MUST be available through a regular, non-contextual menu.

Multiple buttons and contextual menus are an ADDITIONAL level of complexity that can be helpful, but invariably lead to difficulty for those users not liable to seek it out, anyway.


(In fact, that you now MUST context-click on Dock icons to change their popup display settings - there is no other interface for this - is IMO the first slippery step into catastrophe.)
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 05:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
While that's true, X11 is a LOT less essential to the standard user than even the context click is.
As a researcher I can guarantee you that in science and academia, X11 is not just some option. Everybody uses it. All the time. In most cases no X11 means the computer's useless. And with something as essential as middle-click simply NOT POSSIBLE on this latest mouse, I can assure you nobody in my line of work will ever buy or select the mouse with their new Mac. So maybe this mouse was targeted at 14-year old iTunes users only, but what's for sure is that it has been designed in such a way that it excludes a substantial part of Apple's professional customer base.
( Last edited by Simon; Nov 1, 2009 at 05:38 PM. )
     
lpkmckenna
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Toronto
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 05:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
There is no need to do so - that's the whole point of making a single-button setup the default!

It *forces* developers to assume that everything a user has to be able to do MUST be available through a regular, non-contextual menu.
Except Apple violates this in crazy places. The only way to open a package is a context-click in the Finder, and the only way to access the spelling suggestions is a context-click. They both should be accessible via the menu and keyboard shortcut.
(In fact, that you now MUST context-click on Dock icons to change their popup display settings - there is no other interface for this - is IMO the first slippery step into catastrophe.)
If you click-n-hold on a Dock icon (ie Dock Expose), you are given a menu of quit/hide/options as well. "Options" lets you alter display properties.
     
AKcrab
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 05:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by lpkmckenna View Post
Except Apple violates this in crazy places. The only way to open a package is a context-click in the Finder, and the only way to access the spelling suggestions is a context-click. They both should be accessible via the menu and keyboard shortcut.
ctrl-click.
If you click-n-hold on a Dock icon (ie Dock Expose), you are given a menu of quit/hide/options as well. "Options" lets you alter display properties.
Indeed, unless it is a stack which you must ctrl-click to get the display options.
     
Eug  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Caught in a web of deceit.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2009, 05:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
It *forces* developers to assume that everything a user has to be able to do MUST be available through a regular, non-contextual menu.
In theory, except even Apple software these days doesn't always follow this rule, and even when it does, it makes it a major PITA in terms of usability.

What you say may have been true before the age of OS X, but we've been using OS X for almost a decade now.
     
 
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:17 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,