[S]: 2 button mouse to behave like a 3 button

From: Jim Surlow <jsurlow_at_ambient.acs.uci.edu>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 10:25:28 -0800

The resounding answer was buy a 3 button mouse.

------- Forwarded Messages

To: alpha-osf-managers_at_ornl.gov
Subject: [Q]: 2 button mouse to behave like a 3 button
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 15:51:41 -0800
From: Jim Surlow <jsurlow_at_hydra.acs.uci.edu>

Alpha (DU) folks,

We have recently acquired a few Alpha 200 4/233s. They
all have Microsoft 2 button mice instead of DEC's 3
button.

Given that we are putting these in an environment where
we are unsure as to what window manager they will be
using, is there any way that we can map a dual button
press to be the middle mouse button of a 3button mouse?

Users may be using CDE, fvwm, mwm, or twm running on
Digital Unix either 3.2c or 4.0b

Thanks,

Jim Surlow
UC Irvine

------- Message 2

From: Paul Henderson <pgh_at_unx.dec.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 08:33:45 -0500 (EST)
>
> Alpha (DU) folks,
>
> We have recently acquired a few Alpha 200 4/233s. They
> all have Microsoft 2 button mice instead of DEC's 3
> button.
>
> Given that we are putting these in an environment where
> we are unsure as to what window manager they will be
> using, is there any way that we can map a dual button
> press to be the middle mouse button of a 3button mouse?
>
> Users may be using CDE, fvwm, mwm, or twm running on
> Digital Unix either 3.2c or 4.0b
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim Surlow
> UC Irvine
>

This might get tricky, but there is a button press event for mouse
buttons called "Click2". For example, in my ~/.dt/dtwmrc file, I have
    <Btn1Click2> title f.minimize

You may be able to map your normal single click operations for the
given mouse button, then define a whole different set for that button
using the Click2 addition, i.e.

    <Btn1Down> title f.raise
    <Btn1Click2> title f.minimize

    to get a different operation on a double click. I am uncertain if
    this will work in the root window, however.

Sounds like you have a lot of playing to do. I bet just buying a 3
button mouse would be a lot cheaper ;-). BTW, the Alpha 200
workstations are PCI based, so they just take standard off the shelf
mice and keyboards... I have a PC Concepts ergonomic keyboard and
mouse on mine that I bought at CompUSA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul Henderson email: henderson_at_unx.dec.com
Digital Unix Engineering decMail: unxa::henderson
                            snailmail: 200 Route 9, Manalapan,NJ,USA 07726
                                voice: (908)577-6044 (dtn 462-6044)

------- Message 3

Date: Wed, 12 Feb 97 09:34:16 -0500
From: "Dr. Tom Blinn, 603-881-0646" <tpb_at_zk3.dec.com>

> Alpha (DU) folks,
>
> We have recently acquired a few Alpha 200 4/233s. They
> all have Microsoft 2 button mice instead of DEC's 3
> button.
>
> Given that we are putting these in an environment where
> we are unsure as to what window manager they will be
> using, is there any way that we can map a dual button
> press to be the middle mouse button of a 3button mouse?
>
> Users may be using CDE, fvwm, mwm, or twm running on
> Digital Unix either 3.2c or 4.0b
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim Surlow
> UC Irvine

For about $10, you can purchase a perfectly functional PS2 style three
button mouse. I recently bought one of the Precision Instruments brand
"3 Button Combo Mouse" at Computer City; they are currently selling for
under $10 each.

You *might* be able to work around the problem with software, but it's a
WHOLE lot simpler to just get a 3 button mouse. Most software for Windows
NT (which is what probably was originally targetted for those systems if
they came with a two button mouse) will ignore the middle mouse button.

It's also simpler for the users to not have to try to learn a special mouse
button combination for UNIX.

Tom
 
 Dr. Thomas P. Blinn, UNIX Software Group, Digital Equipment Corporation
  110 Spit Brook Road, MS ZKO3-2/U20 Nashua, New Hampshire 03062-2698
   Technology Partnership Engineering Phone: (603) 881-0646
    Internet: tpb_at_zk3.dec.com Digital's Easynet: alpha::tpb

  Worry kills more people than work because more people worry than work.

     My favorite palindrome is: Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
                                         -- Phil Agre, pagre_at_ucsd.edu

  Opinions expressed herein are my own, and do not necessarily represent
  those of my employer or anyone else, living or dead, real or imagined.
 

------- Message 4

Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 18:53:46 +0100 (NFT)
From: Erik Mats <Erik.Mats_at_limikpe.ling.uu.se>

Hi!

>Given that we are putting these in an environment where
>we are unsure as to what window manager they will be
>using, is there any way that we can map a dual button
>press to be the middle mouse button of a 3button mouse?

One solution, of course, would be to configure the different window
managers globally so that they would behave in the desired way as a
system-wide default.

Good luck!

/Erik Mats
=== Erik Mats ============================================================
Datorligist/M.A. Student Mail: Erik.Mats_at_mail.ling.uu.se
Dept of Linguistics, http://strindberg.ling.uu.se/~erikm
Uppsala University, Sweden Phone: +46 (0) 18 29 00 56
================== Finger me for public geek code block ==================
== "I pragmatically turn my whims into principles" - Calvin/Watterson ==


------- End of Forwarded Messages
Received on Wed Feb 19 1997 - 19:55:57 NZDT

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