Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!purdue!decwrl!jumbo!jg
From: jg@jumbo.dec.com (Jim Gettys)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.misc
Subject: Re: Automatic mouse cursor movement
Message-ID: <13091@jumbo.dec.com>
Date: 6 Jun 88 19:37:54 GMT
References: <10799@apple.Apple.Com> <10700006@hpfclp.SDE.HP.COM> <5034@june.cs.washington.edu> <11088@steinmetz.ge.com> <4964@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Reply-To: jg@jumbo.UUCP (Jim Gettys)
Organization: DEC Systems Research Center, Palo Alto
Lines: 19

In article <4964@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> ruffwork@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU.UUCP (Ritchey Ruff) writes:
>[on automatic mouse cursor movement]
>The X windowing system has "warping" which will move the mouse cursor
>to the middle of the newly activated window.  I agree with the sun/apple
>people that this is VERY distracting (what? where did my mouse cursor
>go. . . . . . .

I certainly heartily agree that "warping" the pointer is a VERY bad idea.
All the psychologists agree that people find it very distracting.
There are few times when it is necessary; unfortunately, there are a few
times when it is needed.  (Scripts to drive the window system for testing
is one example.)  And therefore in line with X's mechanism
orientation, X provides the capability.

So as usual, X provides the length of rope to hang yourself.  I don't
recommend tying one end to you neck and the other end to a tree branch,
which is what XWarpPointer is; use the rope for some worthwhile purpose,
and don't kill yourself or others.  
					- Jim Gettys