hamish@root44.uucp (Hamish Reid) (10/03/86)
I'm puzzled - perhaps I've missed the point - but in all this theological can/cant mine-is-better-than-yours etc war over input devices, has anyone ever used *foot pedals* combined with keyboards for input - the keyboard allows rapid touch typing text input, and a suitable set of (2?) foot pedals could easily provide iconic / pointer input/commands - without ever taking your hands off the keyboard, and without cluttering up the desk? Yer average car driver and/or drummer and/or organist doesnt find it too hard to use both feet and hands... I've never seen it except in prototype form - is there any non-theological problem I've missed? Sorry, just asking, H (Hamish Reid, hamish@root.co.uk, mcvax!ukc!root44!hamish)
SofPasuk@imagen.UUCP (10/07/86)
> I'm puzzled - perhaps I've missed the point - but in all this theological > can/cant mine-is-better-than-yours etc war over input devices, has > anyone ever used *foot pedals* combined with keyboards for input - the > keyboard allows rapid touch typing text input, and a suitable set of > (2?) foot pedals could easily provide iconic / pointer input/commands > - without ever taking your hands off the keyboard, and without > cluttering up the desk? Yer average car > driver and/or drummer and/or organist doesnt find it too > hard to use both feet and hands... > I've never seen it except in prototype form - is there any > non-theological problem I've missed? > > Sorry, just asking, > > H (Hamish Reid, hamish@root.co.uk, mcvax!ukc!root44!hamish) ... it requires a special technique to use pedals, otherwise known as the "tootsie roll" ...
brad@altunv.UUCP (Brad Silva) (10/08/86)
In article <179@root44.uucp>, hamish@root44.uucp (Hamish Reid) writes: > I'm puzzled - perhaps I've missed the point - but in all this theological > can/cant mine-is-better-than-yours etc war over input devices, has > anyone ever used *foot pedals* combined with keyboards for input - the > keyboard allows rapid touch typing text input, and a suitable set of > (2?) foot pedals could easily provide iconic / pointer input/commands > - without ever taking your hands off the keyboard, and without > cluttering up the desk? Yer average car > driver and/or drummer and/or organist doesnt find it too > hard to use both feet and hands... > I've never seen it except in prototype form - is there any > non-theological problem I've missed? > > Sorry, just asking, > > H (Hamish Reid, hamish@root.co.uk, mcvax!ukc!root44!hamish) Serveral years ago, I had the poor luck to have to evaluate a product like this. It was a small box that plugged in-between your IBM keyboard and the computer, with an extension cord going down to an angled box that you put your foot on. By moving your foot this device sent arrow-key signals to the PC. This device would work with any software, but was practically useless. *Nobody* (myself, and several other people in the office) could move there foot precicely enough to make the thing useful, we continuously over-shot, or under-shot our movements, and had to carefully correct. I don't know, maybe the device was too sensitive, but after using the thing with word processors, spreadsheets, even Autocad, I disconnected it and put it in our "unused hardware" closet, where, to the best of my knowledge, it remains today. Oh, and after some thought, the name of this particular device was: "Foot Mouse" -- ---------------- Brad Silva "Seeker" ...!ptfsa!gilbbs!altunv!brad No disclaimer No cute joke No nothin' .... Yet! ---------------
johnl@ima.UUCP (John R. Levine) (10/09/86)
In article <179@root44.uucp> hamish@root44.UUCP (Hamish Reid) writes: >I'm puzzled - perhaps I've missed the point - but in all this theological >can/cant mine-is-better-than-yours etc war over input devices, has >anyone ever used *foot pedals* combined with keyboards for input ... The main problem with rats (big mice that live on the floor) is that you have nowhere near the muscle control over your feet that you do over your hands, and moreover you need a very well designed work environment to be able to take the weight off both of your feet without falling out of your chair. I used to play the organ, and getting the control of my feet necessary to play the organ pedals was unbelievably hard. It took years and I was never very good at it. The analogy with a car is not a good one because in the car you only have one degree of freedom in each pedal, and the driver's seat is carefully designed to let you sit with no weight on your feet. -- John R. Levine, Javelin Software Corp., Cambridge MA +1 617 494 1400 { ihnp4 | decvax | cbosgd | harvard | yale }!ima!johnl, Levine@YALE.EDU The opinions expressed herein are solely those of a 12-year-old hacker who has broken into my account and not those of any person or organization.
bobr@zeus.UUCP (10/09/86)
There is no problem in using feet for simple controls (i.e., pressing a pedal or three and having fairly fine pressure control over them), but we are talking about a mouse replacement here. Human feet (disregarding the exceptional cases) do not have the sensitivity to control a device which could replace the sensitivity and degrees of freedom of a mouse.
cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (10/11/86)
> There is no problem in using feet for simple controls (i.e., pressing a > pedal or three and having fairly fine pressure control over them), but we > are talking about a mouse replacement here. Human feet (disregarding the > exceptional cases) do not have the sensitivity to control a device which > could replace the sensitivity and degrees of freedom of a mouse. Especially when wearing shoes. Clayton E. Cramer
cds@root44.uucp (Chris Seabrook) (10/22/86)
I take the point that foot driven devices cannot be controlled accurately enough for use as a direct mouse replacement, but how about something simple. 1 pedal or similar to rock back and forth and control scrolling up or down only. I think this might be a great help when browsing files or looking for the precise bit to hack, and should be no more difficult to operate that the average car clutch pedal. -- Chris Seabrook cds@root.co.uk +44 1 726 6501