Multiple mouse cursors: ME WANT!

Mikuro · #1 September 27th, 2005, 05:32 PM

I have two mice. I can hook them both up, and they both work. The problem is that they both control the same cursor. That's mildly useful in its own right, but it would be very useful if I could have TWO cursors, each controlled by its own mouse.

This may seem like a somewhat silly idea, and I'm sure there's no built-in support for it in OS X. But I find it hard to believe nobody's ever hacked up a way to do it, but all I can find so far are cries for such a feature similar to my own.

So, is there any way? Any way at all? Heck, just for the geekery of it, I'd be interested in a Windows or Linux solution, too.

I really think this ought to be built into the OS, if only to pave the way for effective touch screens. I would so love to be able to manipulate all three RGB sliders in Photoshop at the same time with my fingers. And it would also be very cool to control iTunes' equalizer settings the same way you would on real audio hardware.

This is something that needs doing, IMO. I also think it would be highly marketable, and not terribly hard to implement at the OS level. C'mon Apple, it's time to push that envelope!

What do you think?

JetwingX · #2 September 28th, 2005, 12:48 AM

problem with that is not too many people are ambidextrous

adambyte · #3 September 28th, 2005, 01:22 AM

Yes, but for those of us who are... it's a tantilizing idea.

Yeah, I've thought of it before. But alas, I am not a programmer.

**fryke** · #4 September 28th, 2005, 03:00 PM

I really guess that probably about 0.01% of all Mac users out there would appreciate such a feature. When that makes more than a few thousand customers who'd _pay_ for this feature, then someone's probably gonna make it. Btw.: Even ambidextrous people will have a hard time actually moving both mice/cursors correctly. You want to move Photoshop's RGB sliders at the same time? That's three hands, btw. And: There's a choice of colour selectors that do pretty much what you're probably aiming for. And: Are you sure you'll find colours by using that "technique" that you _wouldn't_ find by the current system? Click on the front colour in the tool palette and look at how that colour selector works for you. Much better than moving two of three RGB sliders at a time...

Mikuro · #5 September 28th, 2005, 04:00 PM

When I mentioned the RGB sliders, I was talking about the touch screens. Even if you can't use two MICE, you should be able to have multiple clicks/drags going at the same time. This would require OS support. And that would almost have to begin with support for multiple mice.

I would not particularly care to use RGB sliders with three mice (I can handle a mouse with my left hand, but I find it hard to use a mouse with the third hand I have growing out of my forehead

), but controlling them with my fingers would be great.

It's not so much a matter of picking colors as it is with color adjustment and filters. It would just be much more efficient to be able to tweak them all without having to go back and forth. Most image filters have at least a few sliders, and a lot of the time it takes a lot of fiddling to get the right result.

The possibilities with such a technology are endless.

**fryke** · #6 September 28th, 2005, 06:58 PM

Touch screens and graphics design don't go together for me, anyway. Those touch screens look awful after a short period of time, and if you "slide" your fingers across them, you'll leave marks, anyway. I'm fine with one mouse.

... I guess for that specific task of slider control, I'd like to use some USB device with actual sliders...

Lt Major Burns · #7 September 29th, 2005, 06:26 AM

i love the idea, and the scope, but i'm afraid, i have to agree.

the human can only focus on one object, effectively. the rest goes into peripheral vision. this means that while you can see the other cursor, your brain won't be working out how to use it. you would still be working one cursor at a time, you would feel like you were using both, but actually, really, your process would be left, right... left again... right, left, right; not both at the same time, at which point, two cursors becomes useless.

i agree wholeheartedly with the touchscreen though. the eq in itunes is a wonderful example. could this also work with tablets? you could have a stylus glove or something, with blunt points on the ends of your fingers. you could digitally finger paint. you could play the piano in garange band...

elander · #8 September 29th, 2005, 09:38 AM

Fingerworks (now defunkt alas) made nice "keyboards" that were actually touchpads. They support multiple contact points, and gestures, to manipulate the interfaces in applications. One problem is that it requires special programming for each application, if you want anything else than the global gestures. They are cool though, the only zero impact keyboards I've seen except the projected varieties. I've got a Touchstream LP myself...