Why Apple Makes a One-Button Mouse 1271
IdiotOnMyLeft writes "There is a short article at Gear Live that tries to explain why Apple still sticks with a one-button mouse. It points out the fact that although it is perfectly possible to use a two-button mouse on a Mac for 7 years now, developers are forced to rethink their design approach and can't flood the right-click menu. No article of this kind would be complete without mentioning that users get confused with two buttons. There's a rumor that John Carmack once asked Steve Jobs what would happen if they'd put one more key on the keyboard."
Single button rules (Score:5, Interesting)
Mouse button 1 = regular click
Mouse button 2 = contextual click
Mouse button 3 = not used because it's too easy to scroll with the wheel when clicking, but it used to be mapped such that when I clicked it and scrolled, the Mac screen would either zoom in or zoom out (really nice Quartz Extreme [apple.com] feature)
Mouse button 4 = Expose [apple.com] show all windows
Mouse button 5 = Expose show desktop
My wife is the opposite. She prefers a single button mouse for her iMac and PowerBook. I bought her a multi-button mouse with scroll wheel for playing Jedi Academy [apple.com]. When she's done playing, she unplugs the multi-button mouse and plugs in her white Apple mouse.
Apple's got the right idea. Ship a single button mouse to make sure that developers don't start hiding things in the contextual menu, but support multiple button mice out of the box with no need for drivers. The scenario Gear Live describes is pretty common: "left click or right click?" On a Mac, that statement doesn't come up.
However, I'm sure some people will still complain about the single button mouse. Some people are just looking for nits to pick, and they're looking for excuses to deride Macs, though not necessarily reasons.
Re:Mice (Score:2, Interesting)
And yet, every time I use the Mac at work, it's an exercise in frustration. Part of it is the unfamiliarity with the way to do things on a Mac (bass-ackwards, it seems, is the rule of the day), but part of it is sheer torture (font handling, for instance). And every time I use it, I find myself trying to use the one-button mouse as though it were a two-button mouse.
Ah well. Luckily, I don't have to use it that often... save for those projects that unfortunately require the Mac version of Quark Express.
Kierthos
Re:Forced to rethink? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm not a Mac user myself, but its the little things like this that make me like Macs more and more.
Re:Mice (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Mice (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd like to know what is wrong with OS X's font handling. I assume you're comparing it to Windows. They both use a fonts directory, and they both work the same way: put a font file in the directory and it will be available to all programs instantly.
The key differences being that in OS X you can organize your fonts into sub folders, you can use both Mac and PC fonts (even windows TTFs) and - the really big plus for multi-user machines - each user can install fonts that only they have access to.
So what was it you preferred about Windows's font management?
Show me one place... (Score:2, Interesting)
Personally... (Score:3, Interesting)
You can do everything on OS X just using the mouse and clicking to get it, everything in a contextual menu can be found either in a button or the apple menu.
Also another beauty in OS X is that everything can be controlled through the keyboard which some people find very intuitive.
If you really 'need' to invoke a contextual menu you just hold down control and click-- it really isn't that hard, and it probably isnt necessary anyway.
Re:Is sure is a good thing, then... (Score:2, Interesting)
And there really is no excuse for this as software such as Alias's Maya [alias.com] not only work fine with a 3 button mouse, but require it.
But nice mac trolling there, buddy. Good to see that /. is still free for differing opinions as long as they all agree with Apple's design decisions.
Re:Single button rules (except for Powerbooks) (Score:1, Interesting)
Unless you've got a Powerbook. The hideous trackpad/button combo on an otherwise great machine really besmirches Apple's reputation for good industrial design. The machine is practically useless without an external (and not included) mouse.
Re:I call shinanigans. (Score:1, Interesting)
The real reason (Score:3, Interesting)
But Macs have supported right-clicks for the better part of a decade now, and you can control click, and the right mouse button is suddenly useful. As are scroll-wheel mice. Given that, I don't think you can claim that Macs get along just fine without two (or three) mouse buttons. So why don't Apple computers ship with them?
I'm sure you can make lots of vague hand-wavy excuses based on human-computer interaction theory and research, but the HCI arguments against the splat-click that Apple gives us as a replacement are far far stronger. And you can't really give strict adherence to HCI standards as a serious reason when you're talking about Apple's reasons for doing things anymore - a Google search will turn up scads of pages listing all sorts of UI blunders in OS X.
I think the real reason why Apple uses one-button mice is because Apple, especially now that Steve Jobs is at the wheel, is obsessed with visual appeal. From a design standpoint, a one-button mouse is almost naturally sexier to look at. The standard Apple mouse looks like something that raver kids would suck on, while I have never seen a three-button mouse that gets any better than wavering between unappealing and ugly.
The Apple mouse has become simply another great example of the 'function follows form' attitude that Apple has taken in recent years.
On this topic, you may be interested in... (Score:5, Interesting)
SideTrack is a replacement driver for the Apple PowerBook and iBook trackpads. With SideTrack installed your standard trackpad becomes a powerful multi-button scrolling mouse.
Leave your external mouse at home and take full control over your trackpad:
- Vertical scrolling at left or right edge of pad.
- Horizontal scrolling at top or bottom edge of pad.
- Map hardware button to left or right click.
- Map trackpad taps to no action, left click, left click drag (with or without drag lock), or right click.
- Map trackpad corner taps to mouse buttons 1-6 or simulated keystrokes.
- Extensive control over accidental input filtering.
SideTrack is multiuser aware and fully compatible with MacOS X 10.3 fast user switching (FUS). Every user on your PowerBook can have different settings depending on their needs.
I will always complain: 1 button on Powerbooks (Score:3, Interesting)
But there's one broad situation where you often DO use the mouse that came with your computer - your laptop.
I've given this suggestion before, and I'll give it again. Apple should ship all their laptops with at least 2 mouse buttons (preferably 3), and a control panel allowing you to map them places.
AND THE DEFAULT SHOULD BE THAT THEY ARE ALL MAPPED TO LEFT CLICK. This means that it ships with exactly Apple's paradigm, but I don't have to carry around extra external hardware just to use right click - I just have to change settings in a control panel.
I'm aware of some hacks involving tapping on the trackpad, but they're, well, hacks. And while they're better than not existing, they're not better than at least one more button. Heck, I'd take a three button laptop and the clicks to give me 4 or 5.
I would agree but... (Score:3, Interesting)
They went a step further, though, and supplied a set of audio tapes that taught you how to use your OS. This ensured that even people who didn't have a clue about computers could get up to speed in just a few hours.
The thing that is missing with Windows and OS X is the in depth tutorial for complete n00bs.
Such a simple solution for such a redundant problem.
They DID add keys to the keyboard! (Score:3, Interesting)
Why your Mom/Dad can't use a 2 button mouse (Score:0, Interesting)
Age is a misnomer (Score:2, Interesting)
My grandmother (80) uses a 4 button mouse (came with her box) like she was born with it. It took her all of one minute to understand. My great-grandmother (100), uses my grandmother's computer with no probs.
The whole age-ism in this issue is BS. The whole argument about the nuumber of buttons (like you stated) is also BS. I've decided, from observation, that Apple ships one button mice because they think they look cool. That hockey-puck-thing on the iMacs is the classic example. Can't use it without accidentally clicking all over the place. Gives you tunnel-carpal if you use it for more than 5 seconds. But, it *looks cool* with an iMac. And how it looks is what must be really important.
My biggest "one button mouse" complaint (Score:3, Interesting)
My biggest complaint with Apple's insistance on keeping with the one button mouse is that there isn't a nice, elegant, ergonomic multi-button mouse from Apple. I don't care if they call it the Apple Technical Mouse or what, I just wish there was one.
I always stayed away from Apple in the past for several reasons; a major one was the mouse. Being a recent switcher (last year, and no it had nothing to do with iPods) I can say that an interface that assumes that the user will only have one button is very well designed.
Since using a Mac with and without a multi-button mouse, I've seen many people, including otherwise competent ones, click wrong buttons on the PC. It makes me think that maybe Apple is really thinking about things instead of just being stubborn.
Don't try to teach /. about aesthetics... (Score:3, Interesting)
From that I'm not sure exactly where to begin with your argument, but I can say at a minimum it wasn't researched, some parts it lacks so much reason that it makes no surprise that the closed mindedness on this issue keeps it making news on slashdot.(Why they seem to care so much about buttons is beyond me, especially when it's clear they don't use the hardware for any real length of time.)
For starters an end user isn't really to know whether or not their software is running on a 8, 16, 32, 64 bit machine. The reality is with much video acceleration and vector calculators often code is running on 128 bit machinery, but you don't know this until you bother going under the hood. This however doesn't change their UI experience, while the mouse button does, and the photoshop argument still stands to reason from your particular slant.(If you wanted to take it down you might have noted that it's one button nature is really to cope with graphics tablets anymore than it is to cope with the Mac platform.)
As for Maya, you might have not noticed recently, but even according to Alias, the promoted Alias user base and even the images used for press, OS X is the preferrered platform for Alias Maya.(At this stage it's most likely a marketing slant i'm sure) But you'll find them noting things like that the loading screen was created by a Maya user on OS X, to OS X being listed above Windows and linux in just about every drop box on the alias.com website.
So sure you might not be trolling, but you are on the other hand haven't done any useful research before hitting reply.(Try that this time before you reply to this.)
So Maya -requires- a multibutton mouse, not from Windows, but from PowerAnimator days on IRIX. Additionally since Maya doesn't ship with OS X as standard, I don't see why it should be made sole-mouse button friendly. If you can afford maya, I think you can afford a new mouse.
Also take a look at apple laptops, be amazed with the shock and awe that they too only feature one button on the track pad... So it's definitely something they like to keep up on all their hardware not just their mice.
This sort of topic presented on slashdot is such a perfect example of why a lot of software for windows and linux is poorly presented and generally unconsumable, the average person in this crowd doesn't 'get' the idea of the one mouse button(nor is interested to), to them it's about a list of technical advantages over an aesthetic design choice, and they most certainly don't get any other subtleties that come with dedicated UI refinement. (Notice that word refinement.. it means not adding crap just because you can, but removing items because you can, the second mouse button, a third...or 7th on some MS mice.. that's the excessive crap that needs removing.) Design relies heavily on what you can take away without having an expense on the experience, the mouse button comes under this.
As a result of this design ethic, you won't find extra buttons on apple keyboards for instant mail, instant internet, instant shopping, etc etc. Which interestingly counters another argument 'would it be so confusing to add another button to the keyboard?' in short 'no, but it'd be stupid and probably damn ugly' *thinks compaq, hp and dell*
The design ethic follows through to most other design choices, from having things in plain white, or plain brushed metal, to having no exposed latches, hooks, etc on their laptops, while other brands are fine having plastic hooks sticking out of their screen.
For the wider /. audience, if you don't get it by now, then don't bother trying anymore, it's clearly not for you.
Doesn't anyone here do usability studies? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm flabbergasted at all the posts here that claim that any idiot knows how to work a mouse with multiple buttons.
Doesn't anyone do any usability studies on their applications with "joe six-pack" user types?
I've done a few myself (mostly websites) and nearly every time, there is at least one person who has trouble working the mouse to one degree or another:
Seems to me a few of you just take your own experience levels for granted
Better Analogy Than Carmack's (Score:1, Interesting)
Apple believes that you should be able to tell what you're about to do with the mouse by looking at the GUI and deciding where to click. Deciding which button to click, with no GUI hint, is not in keeping with the whole GUI philosophy. It's easy to think that something's intuitive just because you already know it, but as little things like that gradually creep into a system, it eventually becomes very non-intuitive.
darel@alienryderflex.com
Re:Single button rules (Score:2, Interesting)
Ergonomics isn't about making a sleek form that looks great and feel comfortable, it's about making a mouse that can be used in many different ways. I've used two button mice on my Mac, but I actually prefer the Apple mouse because I can push anywhere to click, I don't have to keep my pointer finger in a specific place. Keeping your hand in a single position for an extended period of time is what causes hand and wrist problems, Apple reduced that by letting you use the mouse in many ways.
I challenge anyone (that uses a Mac) to use a one button mouse for a week, you'll start to enjoy it. It's just more comfortable to use.
Apple's mouse has FIVE BUTTONS! (Score:3, Interesting)
Click
Double-click (the equivalent of the third button on Xerox original design)
Control-click (the equivalent of the second button)
Command-click (the equivalent of the third button on Sun's original 3-button layout)
Alt-click (the equivalent of the third button on many X11 apps)
Shift-click
How this is simpler and easier to learn than two buttons, I'll never understand. Especially when these extra buttons are not just accelerateors or shortcuts but are absolutely required to perform many functions.
But anyone who claims a single button is easier had better be able to show a study that compared apples to apples... the ones Apple published really compared two-buttons plus only context menus to single buttons with menu bars, and nobody's modern two-button mice actually behave that way.
"single or double click"? (Score:3, Interesting)
But I do support, and I still get users who are trying to double-click on things that only take a single click, or double-click on menus. ALL of which is Apple's fault... because with only a single button mouse they couldn't use the middle button for "action" like Xerox had... so they "invented" a second button called double-click.
No, the "stupid users" argument cuts both ways. The answer is, "stupid users are stupid... design for smart users, and train the novices, necause you have to anyway. The only "intuitive" user interface is the nipple.
Re:Tech Suport True Story (Score:2, Interesting)