Working without a mouse on Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix |
The only daily use non-mouse computing experiences I’ve had are the Tablet PC and Pocket PC. Chronotron has a post called Life Without Mouse which offers links to keyboard shortcuts for Mac, Linux and Windows. This post also mentions the commercial program Activewords which can greatly improve Window’s users productivity who type a lot.
… whatever you do with the mouse you can do without it and you can easily learn to use some really great keyboard shortcuts to make your work fast even with a mouse later.
Hmm, disagree here. What about copying and draging large amounts of text? The mouse is fast for that. I’ve found the digital pen on the tablet to be optimal for point and clicking on objects on the screen and of course writing (try writing with a mouse sometime, it sucks). Of course some can type faster than they can write.
It really just depends on the application being used. I’d much rather use a mouse in Photoshop than the keyboard. Do you use any programs with keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse? In fact, I can’t think of even one program that I use exclusively with the keyboard. I’m sure there is at least one … but it’s not coming to mind.




I saw my first mouse on an early Mac and thought, “Man, this is going to take some getting used to.” Well, now I’m used to it. In fact, I can’t do without it. I have had times when the mouse died (like the battery went out on the cordless and I was out of AAA’s), and having to use just the keyboard really sucked. It’s amazing how many applications leave you no way to perform certain actions sans sourie. One of my clients has stringent requirements for supporting both mouse and keyboard alternatives, so I am very aware of the usual keyboard equivalents — but a lot of software just ignores the issue.
Comment by Sterling Camden — March 28, 2006 @ 3:25 pm PST