Filed under: Productivity, OpenOffice.org
OpenOfficeMouse boosts productivity with 18 buttons. Yes, 18. And a joystick.
I can see the conversation now:Open Source Advocate 1: 'So, dude, we really should do something about this Godawful UI. I mean we tried our best to imitate Microsoft but it just... isn't working out.'
OS Advocate 2: 'There must be some other way... some way we can avoid paying any kind of skilled user-interface master to actually develop a sweet-ass interface.'
OS Advocate 1: 'I know! I KNOW! WE'LL MAKE A MOUSE! A homebrew mouse with enough buttons to map EVERY function to it! We'll simply do away with the usual interface! GENIUS!'
OS Advocate 2: 'Er... OK. Stop waving your Perl manual around like that. You're starting to scare me.'
...
Slashdot are reporting that OpenOffice.org has a new mouse -- the succinctly-named OpenOfficeMouse. Manufactured by WarMouse (the awesome naming never ceases), this behemoth has 18 buttons, a scroll wheel and, get this, an analogue joystick. You couldn't make this stuff up. It has macro support, storage for up to 63 profiles... 63!
I know what you're thinking: OpenOffice can't possibly fully-utilise this beautiful piece of (patented) technological mastery. This thing is for gamers.
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cam said 12:11PM on 11-08-2009
Okay, I've got three things to say here...
1. It'd be a shame if it doesn't work on Linux.
and
2. I'm sure I could map one of those buttons to almost everything on my computer, but I'm not sure about mapping my fingers to those buttons... how do you hold the thing?
and
3. Which ones are right/left click? I'm assuming the bigger ones?
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Sebastian Anthony said 12:37PM on 11-08-2009
You can probably program which button is left and right click... I hope you can make EVERY button on the left left-click, and every one on the right right-click.
I'm going to get one for my grandmother for Christmas.
sitruc said 12:20PM on 11-08-2009
A $75 mouse for free software. Brilliant.
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Liam said 2:07PM on 11-08-2009
Or you can pay $60 to get a 3-PC license Office 2007 Home and Student, and $15 for a cheap wireless mouse.
Micah said 5:30PM on 11-08-2009
Or, Liam, you could stick with OpenOffice (which is excellent) and keep your current mouse all for the price of FREE.
And what's with calling the UI awful, Download Squad? I agree that it's not perfect, but it's as good as anything in Word and a heck of a lot better than Word 2007's ribbons.
Sebastian Anthony said 5:34PM on 11-08-2009
I admit, I am basing my opinion on when I last used OO, back in 2002 or so.
I have heard that the UI is better than it once was!
The introduction dialogue was just a bit of fun...!
Cam said 7:51PM on 11-08-2009
Yeah, OOo has improved over the years. I like it a lot. Mainly because it's free...
But, in the free office suite department, I think I'm starting to be won over by Lotus Symphony. Yay tabs!
Grant Robertson said 8:11PM on 11-08-2009
Anyone who claims Open Office's interface is "a heckuva lot better than Ribbon" is just averse to change. Being a somewhat recent convert to Ribbon, and having to use Office a lot for work, I've gotta say... Ribbon might be the best UI design work to come out of Redmond, ever. It makes older versions of Office look like WP 5.1 for Dos by comparison.
Cam said 10:51PM on 11-08-2009
Yeah, for what little I've used Ribbon, I like it quite a lot more than the old menu system.
Jordan said 12:54PM on 11-08-2009
Is it April 1st yet?
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Sebastian Anthony said 2:09PM on 11-08-2009
We all thought the same on the internal mailing list... But it seems to be real :(
Bill Eby said 4:10PM on 11-08-2009
Exactly. I thought this HAD to be a fools joke.
Bryan Price said 2:43PM on 11-08-2009
63 profiles, because they couldn't spare that extra bit for 127 profiles....
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Mark said 9:13PM on 11-08-2009
Ugh, what's with those square buttons and what's that thing on the side? It looks like it was designed in the early 80s, lol.
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NotRocketboy said 11:40PM on 11-08-2009
As an old-school CAD guy, let me tell you, buttons at your fingertips > something on the screen to click on.
Every time.
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Monica Dickey said 12:06AM on 11-09-2009
I think if they remarketed and slightly redesigned this mouse it could be huge for gaming. The prospects for productivity seem a bit more limited to CAD and advanced imaging software, or maybe very specialized repetitive data entry.
Those buttons look pretty tiny though, I have pretty small hands but visualizing that mouse I think pressing the middle square buttons would be a challenge.
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Mason said 1:25AM on 11-09-2009
I could see, with a redesign, that mouse being able to do some pretty complicated tasks. With your hands being some of the most precise machines in nature, there is almost an unlimited possibility. I'm not even worried about memory. For those of you whom are like me and type extremely fast, just take the time to look at the keyboard, like we all used to. But keep up your typing speed. Amazing what your fingers are doing, right?
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Sebastian Anthony said 9:42AM on 11-09-2009
Our hands are certainly very awesome -- but I find typing on a mobile phone hard enough... I can only begin to imagine what it'd be like on a mouse, and not even with my thumbs!
Mason said 5:17PM on 11-09-2009
Thumbs I would imagine to be the one exception. Although they are useful, they are rather clumsy. Space is the largest button for a reason.
You have problems with your thumbs because they are larger. The thing with this mouse would be that you would control the top buttons with your Index, Middle, and Ring fingers. It may be awkward at first, but try it on your current, (non-laptop microscopic,) mouse. It's easily doable.