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> To this day I see most people do not understand right-clicking, and why should they? Context menus are not in-your-face obvious, let alone right-click draggin

> To this day I see most people do not understand right-clicking, and why should they? Context menus are not in-your-face obvious, let alone right-click dragging and other esoteric maneuvers. This was the reason why Microsoft introduced Minesweeper to Windows 3.1: > https://web.archive.org/web/20190925214943/https://mentalfloss.com/uk/technology/32106/the-true-purpose-of-solitaire-minesweeper-hearts-and-freecell https://web.archive.org/web/20190925214943/https://mentalflo... "Decades later, in 1992, the Microsoft version Minesweeper was introduced to Windows 3.1—not to demonstrate that Windows was an adept gaming operating system, but to make the idea of left and right clicking second nature for Windows users, and to foster speed and precision in mouse movement."

esafak 3y ago
That is a great theory, but where is the proof? I've read the article.
- aleph_minus_one 3y ago
  Read the whole article. Similar "coincidences" also exist for the other Windows games. On the other hand: if you do consider these coincidences to be spurious, I won't urge you to change your opinion. Instead I give a famous quote from the movie Matrix: "This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes… Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more…" (quoted from https://www.matrixfans.net/movies/the-matrix/transcript/ https://www.matrixfans.net/movies/the-matrix/transcript/)
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
In 1980, Rogue for Unix was a dungeon crawl game that coincidentally used the same keys as vi for navigation. Even today, Nethack and vim are widely revered. Nethack takes vi training further: there are several two-key commands, and some prefix keys which open a "command-line" interface. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(video_game) https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Commands https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Commands https://vim-adventures.com/ https://vim-adventures.com/ Even today, I posit that twitch video games train future developers and users on UX/UI features. In a mobile or web GUI, there are moving targets; there is progressive rendering; there are ephemeral dialogs. If you've played DOOM and Fortnite, then you're better equipped for all that.
zokier 3y ago
This WaPo article might better source: > Microsoft originally put Solitaire into Windows to soothe people intimidated by the operating system, according to Duzan. It gave them something familiar and fun to do with their computer while it also taught them how to use a mouse. Not surprisingly, for years Solitaire was the most-used application for Windows, Microsoft officials say. > Minesweeper got in because, at the time Windows 3.1 was released in 1992, it was the favorite game of everybody involved in creating that software, including overlord Gates. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/09/office-minefield/3b74132a-5f0a-455f-a04e-6171d023149b/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/09/...

esafak 3y ago

That is a great theory, but where is the proof? I've read the article.

aleph_minus_one 3y ago
Read the whole article. Similar "coincidences" also exist for the other Windows games. On the other hand: if you do consider these coincidences to be spurious, I won't urge you to change your opinion. Instead I give a famous quote from the movie Matrix: "This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes… Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more…" (quoted from https://www.matrixfans.net/movies/the-matrix/transcript/ https://www.matrixfans.net/movies/the-matrix/transcript/)

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

In 1980, Rogue for Unix was a dungeon crawl game that coincidentally used the same keys as vi for navigation. Even today, Nethack and vim are widely revered. Nethack takes vi training further: there are several two-key commands, and some prefix keys which open a "command-line" interface. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(video_game) https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Commands https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Commands https://vim-adventures.com/ https://vim-adventures.com/ Even today, I posit that twitch video games train future developers and users on UX/UI features. In a mobile or web GUI, there are moving targets; there is progressive rendering; there are ephemeral dialogs. If you've played DOOM and Fortnite, then you're better equipped for all that.

zokier 3y ago

This WaPo article might better source: > Microsoft originally put Solitaire into Windows to soothe people intimidated by the operating system, according to Duzan. It gave them something familiar and fun to do with their computer while it also taught them how to use a mouse. Not surprisingly, for years Solitaire was the most-used application for Windows, Microsoft officials say. > Minesweeper got in because, at the time Windows 3.1 was released in 1992, it was the favorite game of everybody involved in creating that software, including overlord Gates. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/09/office-minefield/3b74132a-5f0a-455f-a04e-6171d023149b/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/09/...