[2869] in java-interest
Re: warp pointer?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Calum Smeaton)
Wed Oct 18 20:00:22 1995
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 1995 09:59:42 +0100 (BST)
From: Calum Smeaton <calum@cee.hw.ac.uk>
To: java-interest@webrunner.neato.org
In-Reply-To: <9510171837.AA19830@pirx.wrkgrp.com>
> >
> > It is true that it is always possible to add the feature in Java and that I'm
> > free not to use it. But it is equivalent to gotos. It is also possible to
> > add gotos in java and leave the choice to use them or not to the users.
> > The reason for rejecting gotos in Java was that it is well known bad
> > programming. My argument for disallowing application control of mouse
> > movement is the same, it is bad UI programming. So for the Java team, I
> > would say, stick to the logic.
> >
> > I would be gratefull to hear any counter examples riquiring the aplication
> > to change the mouse movement/location.
>
> The Motif Style Guide states that your application must not warp the pointer
> unless you provide the user with a means of disabling this feature. This can
> also cause problems for users of graphics tablets.
The Motif Style guide is certainly not the Gospel !
While it is in general bad practice to warp the pointer (in fact I
hate it in windows95 when it always move the mouse over bloody cancel
buttons), there are some cases when it is perfectly legit to move it.
Julie has already mentioned "snap to grid" type problems.
Education and training are going to be a huge application area for java
and something that people might want to implement is demo systems of
software where they "fly" the mouse and show how a system works.
I have worked on simulators that required replay systems so instructors
could replay exactly what the student has done, and therefore the
ability to track and then warp the pointer in the replay was essential.
While I don't expect people to be writing applets to simulate control
rooms for Oil&Gas Platforms just yet, you never know !
The case of gotos is different to the case of warping a pointer
, in programming you can get round not having gotos, as you have several
options of control flow. You don'nt have any options in warping the
mouse, either it does or it does not !
Cheers
Calum.
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