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Okay, here's my theory.
If you want to support 1-button mice, you can't allow true 2-button mouse support.
What!? you say, aren't 2-button mice supported already?
Nope.
When you click the right mouse button, this is being mapped to something that can be done with a single mouse button plus a modifier key, or to generalize it, a keyboard-mouse-shortcut.
If they allow full 2-button mouse support, then they allow combinations which cannot be done with a one-button mouse:
Let's say they allow this:
Ctrl+Alt+RtClick+LtClick
Ok, now to get this with a one-button mouse, what do we do? We must add a modifier key. Make Shift+LtClick == RtClick. That gives us:
Ctrl+Alt+(Shift+LtClick)+LtClick
Okay, now how do we emulate this:
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+RtClick
Oh no. Now we are stuck.
So you see, it's not so much a philosophical thing as a backwards compatibility thing. Right?
EDIT: unless you think it's philosophical to disdain putting this disclaimer on everything: "* 2-button mouse REQUIRED for some applications"
[ November 24, 2003, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: elmer ]
If you want to support 1-button mice, you can't allow true 2-button mouse support.
What!? you say, aren't 2-button mice supported already?
Nope.
When you click the right mouse button, this is being mapped to something that can be done with a single mouse button plus a modifier key, or to generalize it, a keyboard-mouse-shortcut.
If they allow full 2-button mouse support, then they allow combinations which cannot be done with a one-button mouse:
Let's say they allow this:
Ctrl+Alt+RtClick+LtClick
Ok, now to get this with a one-button mouse, what do we do? We must add a modifier key. Make Shift+LtClick == RtClick. That gives us:
Ctrl+Alt+(Shift+LtClick)+LtClick
Okay, now how do we emulate this:
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+RtClick
Oh no. Now we are stuck.
So you see, it's not so much a philosophical thing as a backwards compatibility thing. Right?
EDIT: unless you think it's philosophical to disdain putting this disclaimer on everything: "* 2-button mouse REQUIRED for some applications"
[ November 24, 2003, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: elmer ]