David Berlind over at ZDNet has posted an article on trackpads vs pointing sticks of the kind that you find on thinkpads.
One MacBook with a Thinkpad keyboard please (or OS X running on Windows, when hell freezes over) by ZDNet‘s David Berlind — Just because almost everybody is doing it, does that mean it’s a good idea? Or does that mean that we’ve somehow been hoodwinked into thinking this makes sense. I’m talking about touchpads. Somehow, users have been convinced that these kissin-cousins to the digitizing tablets that graphics artists use (where the technology benefits productivity) make [...]
Is this guy on crack or something? Sure, I agree with him about trackpads. Who really uses the trackpad on their mac laptops anyway? I’m a macfreak but I avoid using the trackpad on my powerbook as much as possible. I’m also a productivity freak so I use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible. But pointing sticks? Please, that’s so 90′s.
My only brief experience with a pointing stick was when I had to help a friend with his Toshiba back in the 90′s. My only hope was that I could get the job done as soon as possible so I wouldn’t have to use that stupid, little pointing stick anymore.
Sure, it was fast. Too fast. Speed went up and accuracy plummeted. The fact that it may be harder for manufacturers to make or maintain is not the real reason why it has never caught on. People don’t like them.
Want speed and accuracy? Use a mouse. Want productivity? Keep your fingers on the keyboard as much as possible and use shortcuts. That is unless you get paid by the hour, of course. In that case, feel free to use whatever outdated, outmoded technology you wish to use.
Technorati Tags: productivity, trackpads, pointing-sticks
eurocom