Why Apple Makes a One-Button Mouse

IdiotOnMyLeft writes "There is a short article at Gear Live that tries to explain why Apple still sticks with a one-button mouse. It points out the fact that although it is perfectly possible to use a two-button mouse on a Mac for 7 years now, developers are forced to rethink their design approach and can't flood the right-click menu. No article of this kind would be complete without mentioning that users get confused with two buttons. There's a rumor that John Carmack once asked Steve Jobs what would happen if they'd put one more key on the keyboard."

Comments

Re:It has the opposite effect.

[Leo McGarry]

So you end up with a system where you just don't have as much flexibility with the mouse as you would with a Windows or Linux GUI.

Is "flexibility with the mouse" what we're calling "craptacular" these days?

Context menus are just bad user-interface design. Period. The fact that you have gotten accustomed to them doesn't change the fact that they're bad design. In particular, it's wrong of you to expect everybody else to get used to them just because you had to.

I hate to say this but...

[Jesus IS the Devil]

Apple is targetting n00bs with their one button mouse.

Do you realize how much time is saved by having the right click button and the scroll wheel? Every time I touch an Apple I just think, "ok this is a waste of time".

And the author's claim that once you pick up a 2 button mouse you'd want a 5 button one? Nonsense. The scroll and the right click are essential. Anything more is just icing on the cake, but I can live without them just fine.

Just watch... the Apple fanatics will mod me a troll. But what I say is true.