On Nov 14, 2006, at 8:43 PM, I wrote:
Where is the research data that backs the claim that navigating via the mouse is more efficient than navigating via the keyboard? I know my own experience says this is nonsense. My physical context switch time between the keyboard and mouse is at least 300 ms; my fingers move quite a bit faster than that on the keyboard. I know that when I'm in one of the two modes – kbd vs. mouse – I'm very quick in that context. But as soon as I have to switch between them: yikes!
I need to clarify this. I'm not trying to claim that mouse and keyboard are exclusive. What I notice are the patterns of behaviour of how I use the mouse/kbd vs. what I'm trying to accomplish.
To shoot down the claim in my last message, I find mouse-B3 in the compiler diagnostics window combined with a left-hand-on-the-keyboard attack to be *very* efficient. I'm trying to understand why. It's as if there is overlapped context (ala overlapped I/O) going on, it works for me. But as soon as I have to shut down both hands, well, to quote Boyd: I'm fucked.
I'll note that I can't play piano (two handed) either, so maybe this is just a mental block.
Asking for the research data isn't rhetorical. Having read the P9 papers, and having experienced the underlying environment, I'm conflicted. Some of it works (for me), and some doesn't. I just want to know why (and why not).
And I do know where to find emacs, Russ. But thanks for asking :-) (I too no longer know where to find the 3-button Logitech's. I stopped at London Drugs on the way home from work today. They've never let me down before, but today, alas ...)
--lyndon
