4 ms·

Another point missed by anyone using the AskTog article to argue against the need for keyboard shortcuts is the fact that you have two hands. My own Photoshop

Another point missed by anyone using the AskTog article to argue against the need for keyboard shortcuts is the fact that you have two hands. My own Photoshop use often involves simultaneous or near-simultaneous use of both keyboard and mouse. Sometimes I start one action before the other is completed so my hand or cursor is already near the right place. There is no conceivable keyboard-only or mouse-only control scheme that could better this for one important reason: assuming some use of the mouse is needed (true of Photoshop and many other applications although probably not true of text editors and IDEs) then the cost of moving my right hand from the mouse to the keyboard and back again is a very large cost.

digi_owl 9y ago
https://i.imgur.com/IZf6hSx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IZf6hSx.jpg An image i ran across a while back, apparently the work area of some manga artist. Interesting all the square buttons are programmable keys, so each of them is likely mapped to a hotkey or similar.
kps 9y ago
> you have two hands. Every watch ‘the mother of all demos’⁰? Engelbart's system was designed to be used with one hand on the mouse and the other on the chordset. Xerox followed this with the Alto, and on to the Star¹, eventually dropping the chordset but with the same model: the mouse and the left-side function key block worked together.² ⁰ https://youtu.be/yJDv-zdhzMY https://youtu.be/yJDv-zdhzMY ¹ http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/keyboard/ http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/keyboard/ ² https://youtu.be/_OwG_rQ_Hqw?t=54m25s https://youtu.be/_OwG_rQ_Hqw?t=54m25s
Crespyl 9y ago
This "context switch" cost of moving from keyboard only to keyboard+mouse (or mouse only) is why I always have both VimFX for keyboard controls in FireFox, and FireGestures, for mouse-only tools for doing most things. Whether I'm leaning back in my chair with a hand on the mouse, or sitting forward with both ands on the keyboard, I can have all or most functionality available without having to reposition.

digi_owl 9y ago

https://i.imgur.com/IZf6hSx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IZf6hSx.jpg An image i ran across a while back, apparently the work area of some manga artist. Interesting all the square buttons are programmable keys, so each of them is likely mapped to a hotkey or similar.

kps 9y ago

> you have two hands. Every watch ‘the mother of all demos’⁰? Engelbart's system was designed to be used with one hand on the mouse and the other on the chordset. Xerox followed this with the Alto, and on to the Star¹, eventually dropping the chordset but with the same model: the mouse and the left-side function key block worked together.² ⁰ https://youtu.be/yJDv-zdhzMY https://youtu.be/yJDv-zdhzMY ¹ http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/keyboard/ http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/keyboard/ ² https://youtu.be/_OwG_rQ_Hqw?t=54m25s https://youtu.be/_OwG_rQ_Hqw?t=54m25s

Crespyl 9y ago

This "context switch" cost of moving from keyboard only to keyboard+mouse (or mouse only) is why I always have both VimFX for keyboard controls in FireFox, and FireGestures, for mouse-only tools for doing most things. Whether I'm leaning back in my chair with a hand on the mouse, or sitting forward with both ands on the keyboard, I can have all or most functionality available without having to reposition.