Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mouse Gestures Gain Followers

Posted by timothy on from the user-interface-decisions dept.

StefMeister writes "According to this article at ZDNet, the use of the mouse using 'mouse gestures' (as introduced in Opera) is gaining a lot of followers. Personally, I almost solely use the keyboard as input device, but it might be interesting for others. Although changing the way people are accustomed to working is always tricky." I certainly enjoy gestures in Mozilla, thanks to OptiMoz.

5 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Mouse gestures were not "introduced in opera" by sys$manager · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have used a CAD/CAM package called Applicon Bravo (now owned by unilogic) for many years that used mouse and tablet gestures since it ran on a VAX 11/780, through newer VAX and now PC systems. It uses the middle mouse button to indicate that you are "gesturing" and you can make multi-level menu selections with gestures.

    1. Re:Mouse gestures were not "introduced in opera" by littleRedFriend · · Score: 5, Informative

      FROM THE ARTICLE:

      "Indeed, mouse gestures have been incorporated
      into some advanced 3D CAD (computer-aided design)
      programs, but they are now being extended to ordinary
      computer tasks."

      --
      IANAL, but imagine a beowulf cluster of in Soviet Russia all your belong are base to us welcoming the new SCO overlords.
  2. Check out the radial context thingie from optimoz by egghat · · Score: 5, Informative

    God, how I love this.

    Much better than gestures, at least for me as a trackball user.

    Optimoz PieMenues.

    But your mileage may vary.

    Bye egghat.

    --
    -- "As a human being I claim the right to be widely inconsistent", John Peel
  3. Mouse gestures for other window apps by shakey_deal · · Score: 5, Informative

    For mouse gestures in all your favorite window programs try 'stroke it' (heh, nice name). Link included... http://www.tcbnetworks.com/strokeit/forum/

  4. Re:Check out the radial context thingie from optim by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 5, Informative
    Not at all, that's what I thought until I realised I wasn't using them properly. A quick guide to the Mozilla pie menus:

    1) Hold down the right mouse button. I can't stress this enough. Don't click once, then move the mouse, then click again.

    2) Use the tooltips.

    3) Don't feel you need to use the pie menu for everything, just a few things like switching tabs, refreshing a page etc is good. Keep doing it, and after a few times you'll find it comes naturally.

    4) Throw the mouse around. If you're wondering why the pie menus follow you around, it's so you can be very vicious with them. Hold down right, throw the mouse to the top left, the throw it to the right and let go. You can do this very quickly, because you don't have to aim, and the movements can be very vague indeed. Then let go.

    5) Don't think about it. If you constantly look at the menu while using it, you lose the speed advantage. If anything, just defocus for a moment while you start, that way you remember the motion rather than what's on the screen.

    To be honest after getting used to them, I love them. I wish GTK/Qt had an option to do this. It's one of those cool hacks you want to do but never have time for....