mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) (03/29/91)
Use an IBM PC as a terminal, and modify the BIOS so that the CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT keys are "sticky" (they toggle on and off rather than having to be depressed simultaneously with another key). There exists a short program which you can run (upon boot-up) to make them work this way. The PC (a laptop, perhaps) could then be a terminal on any other computer. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs The University of Georgia | Athens, GA 30602 U.S.A. -------------------------------------------------------
Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM (03/29/91)
Hello. Has anybody got ideas for using mainframe UNIX or computers in general for a disabled person with use of only the right hand? I am thinking of recommending a terminal with two "control" keys (e.g., the Teletype 4425) instead of the usual one. [Turning to editors:] Also making heavy use of GNU Emacs numerical keypad programmability, but then again perhaps running it in VI emulation to avoid the old control-key finger stretch. [Also perhaps having a control key prefix character, just like ESC means "Meta-" ...] The mouse also seems important. Of course there's the possibility of just using plain VI, however I have not met the person yet and am not yet aware of their future customization needs. [also posted to misc.handicap [hopefully]] -- Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM Naperville IL USA +1 708 979 6364
pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke) (04/01/91)
In article <DANJ1.91Mar28132419@cbnewse.ATT.COM> Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM writes: > Hello. Has anybody got ideas for using mainframe UNIX or computers in > general for a disabled person with use of only the right hand? The Apple Macintosh has sticky control key ability built into the OS. One of the terminal packages that I use, VersaTerm Pro, allows you to use the mouse for moving around in vi or EMACS. This requires a modifier key to be held, but with the stickiness, this shouldn't be much of a problem. I remember from the early days of microcomputers, when real programmers used toggle switches and keyboards were outrageously expensive, there was a one-handed ASCII keyboard. It was a sphere with four finger buttons and eight thumb buttons. One was supposed to play a chord with the fingers, giving eight bits, and then press one of the thumb buttons, giving three more. It was attractive to a lot of people because the small number of moving parts made it cheap. You might be able to find one used. It would take a lot of training to use, and it might be very hard to get any amount of speed, but it's worth investigating. I have no connection with any of these manufacturers. Eric Pepke INTERNET: pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu Supercomputer Computations Research Institute MFENET: pepke@fsu Florida State University SPAN: scri::pepke Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 BITNET: pepke@fsu Disclaimer: My employers seldom even LISTEN to my opinions. Meta-disclaimer: Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers.
agodwin@acorn.co.uk (Adrian Godwin) (04/02/91)
In article <2643@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke) writes: >I remember from the early days of microcomputers, when real programmers >used toggle switches and keyboards were outrageously expensive, there was >a one-handed ASCII keyboard. It was a sphere with four finger buttons and >eight thumb buttons. One was supposed to play a chord with the fingers, >giving eight bits, and then press one of the thumb buttons, giving three >more. It was attractive to a lot of people because the small number of >moving parts made it cheap. You might be able to find one used. It would >take a lot of training to use, and it might be very hard to get any amount >of speed, but it's worth investigating. There's still a commercially-produced keyboard of this form, known as the MicroWriter. It was - probably still is - quite popular among blind/disabled/ special needs users in this country, though that isn't its primary market. First incarnation was a hand-sized device with 6 keys (only the thumb had to move) with about 8K of RAM and an 1802 processor. It was intended for use as a portable word-processor. The same mechanics and case were used as an auxiliary keyboard for the BBC Micro (using a resistor network on the switches, fed to an analogue input port on the micro). Current version is known as the 'Agenda' (no relation to the Lotus PC package) and is very much modernised. It supports similar WP facilities to the original, as well as diary, calculator and other 'pocketbook' features. It also has a serial port that is used to provide keyboard emulation and file access facilities on a PC - this might be adaptable to your use. The manufacturers, MicroWriter Systems PLC, are on (+44) 81-685-0300 or 2, Wandle Way, Willow Lane, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 4NA, United Kingdom. I have no personal connection with this company, but follow their products with interest - it's a pleasure to see somebody breaking the QWERTY mould, especially in the handheld market where multi-key keyboards are inappropriate. -adrian -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adrian Godwin (agodwin@acorn.co.uk)
src@scuzzy.in-berlin.de (Heiko Blume) (04/03/91)
pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke) writes: >In article <DANJ1.91Mar28132419@cbnewse.ATT.COM> Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM >writes: >> Hello. Has anybody got ideas for using mainframe UNIX or computers in >> general for a disabled person with use of only the right hand? >I remember from the early days of microcomputers, when real programmers >used toggle switches and keyboards were outrageously expensive, there was >a one-handed ASCII keyboard. in fact soemthing very much like this was developed last year or so. it also uses 'chords' played with one hand, and can is a replacement for ibm pc keyboards. there was an article in a big german magazine called c't, if you mail to ix@cosmo they might help you (iX is a magazine of the same publisher, couldn't find a email address for c't). -- Heiko Blume <-+-> src@scuzzy.in-berlin.de <-+-> (+49 30) 691 88 93 [voice!] public UNIX source archive [HST V.42bis]: scuzzy Any ACU,f 38400 6919520 gin:--gin: nuucp sword: nuucp uucp scuzzy!/src/README /your/home
leilabd@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Leila Burrell-Davis) (04/04/91)
In reply to the query: > Hello. Has anybody got ideas for using mainframe UNIX or computers in > general for a disabled person with use of only the right hand? pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke) writes: > > I remember from the early days of microcomputers, when real programmers > used toggle switches and keyboards were outrageously expensive, there was > a one-handed ASCII keyboard. It was a sphere with four finger buttons and > eight thumb buttons. One was supposed to play a chord with the fingers, > giving eight bits, and then press one of the thumb buttons, giving three > more. It was attractive to a lot of people because the small number of > moving parts made it cheap. There is/was a device available in the UK (and maybe elsewhere) called a MicroWriter. It's actually a computer with built in word processing software, a tiny LCD display and a serial port. The keyboard is laid out in a hand shape, with one key for each finger and two for the thumb, and characters are input by pressing chords. The pattern of chords is quite easy to learn as it bears a relationship to the shape of the characters. The machine can be used as a standalone word processor, after a fashion, or else used to input data which can later be transferred to another machine (very handy to use on the train). In addition, I've heard of it being used as an alternative input device to the BBC Micro (once ubiquitous in UK schools), so it might be possible to connect it to a terminal or PC type machine. I don't know if the MicroWriter is still available, but if anyone is interested, email me and I'll have a hunt around for the name of the company. Leila -- Leila Burrell-Davis, Computing Service, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK Tel: +44 273 678390 Fax: +44 273 678470 Email: leilabd@syma.sussex.ac.uk (JANET: leilabd@uk.ac.sussex.syma)