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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Locating the pointer when it is on the bottom of the screen
From:       Lubos Lunak <l.lunak () suse ! cz>
Date:       2004-12-08 12:37:16
Message-ID: 200412081337.16708.l.lunak () suse ! cz
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On Monday 06 of December 2004 23:36, Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> Hello,
>
> It is common knowledge that buttons anchored to the edges of the screen
> are easier to click, even if they are small: it is as if the button had
> an infinite dimension along one axis. For example, if you have a button
> to the top edge of the screen, you abruptly move the mouse vertically to
> the top of the screen, to the very last pixel, and then you only need to
> adjust your pointer horizontally.
>
> So it is convenient to put panels along the edges of the screen.
>
> The problem is that the bottom edge is not as easy to use as the topmost
> one because, if I move the mouse to the bottom of the screen, to the
> very last pixel, I don't see the mouse pointer anymore! It is difficult
> to understand where I am pointing.
>
> Unfortunately, KDE uses only the bottom edge by default (on all distros
> I have tried).
>
> Of course I can move the panel on top, but other people may not be able
> to do it, and in general it is a pity to waste a useful edge of the screen.
>
> I thought maybe the problem could be solved by flipping the mouse
> pointer vertically when the mouse is on the bottom edge of the screen.
> How about it?

 The taskbar could set its cursor to a flipped one, if it'd be on a panel 
positioned at the bottom edge, but it seems there's no standard (or 
reasonably widely available) cursor showing arrow pointing down. Bye bye 
themeable pointer cursors. (Having something like a recommended set of 
cursors could be indeed useful.)

 Moreover, I wonder if there's really such a problem in practice. I have my 
taskbar at the bottom edge, and I work with it by bumping to the bottom edge. 
And I've never noticed this problem. I simply position the mouse above the 
item I want, when I can still see the cursor, and then just move down, and 
hit.

-- 
Lubos Lunak
KDE developer
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