

Touching on Apple's Mouseless Future - Is Apple about to kill mouse? - nickb
http://www.unboundedition.com/content/view/2940/

======
edw519
The more computer interfaces get like games, the better they get and the worse
they get. It depends on the skill level of the operator.

~~~
tipjoy
You should separate the notion of the interaction modalities (mouse, touch
screen, voice, etc), from the ways they can be used in various different types
of software. New modalities such as touch screens will require designers to
rethink how the user interacts with their software, but it doesn't change the
goals of the user.

From a user's perspective, games and productivity software are fundamentally
different. The point of games is to have fun. The point of productivity apps
is to get things done. I saw the lead designer of Halo give a talk at school
several years ago, and he used this example -- 'if we designed games to be
like productivity apps, then the ideal game would consist of a big red button
which said "Press me to complete game!" ' Social networking applications lie
somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. You're not necessarily there to 'get
things done'. You're there to linger as in a game - yet you do have more
concrete goals and knowledge of your path/environment than you would if you
were in a game.

