One handed UNIX, Emacs for disabled person?

Eric Pepke pepke at gw.scri.fsu.edu
Mon Apr 1 07:27:56 AEST 1991


In article <DANJ1.91Mar28132419 at cbnewse.ATT.COM> Dan_Jacobson at ATT.COM 
writes:
> Hello.  Has anybody got ideas for using mainframe UNIX or computers in
> general for a disabled person with use of only the right hand?

The Apple Macintosh has sticky control key ability built into the OS.  One 
of the terminal packages that I use, VersaTerm Pro, allows you to use the 
mouse for moving around in vi or EMACS.  This requires a modifier key to
be held, but with the stickiness, this shouldn't be much of a problem.

I remember from the early days of microcomputers, when real programmers 
used toggle switches and keyboards were outrageously expensive, there was 
a one-handed ASCII keyboard.  It was a sphere with four finger buttons and 
eight thumb buttons.  One was supposed to play a chord with the fingers, 
giving eight bits, and then press one of the thumb buttons, giving three 
more.  It was attractive to a lot of people because the small number of 
moving parts made it cheap.  You might be able to find one used.  It would 
take a lot of training to use, and it might be very hard to get any amount 
of speed, but it's worth investigating.

I have no connection with any of these manufacturers.

Eric Pepke                                    INTERNET: pepke at gw.scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute MFENET:   pepke at fsu
Florida State University                      SPAN:     scri::pepke
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052                    BITNET:   pepke at fsu

Disclaimer: My employers seldom even LISTEN to my opinions.
Meta-disclaimer: Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers.



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