[Xastir] Mouse actions vs modes

[Chris Abbott]

James Ewen wrote:

>> Careful there... You're looking at left click only?  There's also
>> left-drag.
>
>
> I understand the difference. The left mouse button is indeed used, but 
> the left click function while in the map area of the screen doesn't do 
> a lot. Specifically when in CAD draw mode, why not use left click to 
> SetCADPoint? The middle mouse button could be used to close the polygon.
>
> In all other modes, middle click is ZoomOut. You could SetCADPoint 
> with the left click and leave the ZoomToArea and ZoomOut functions 
> where they are in the other modes. Which, of course leads me to 
> another option. Draw-CAD mode could disappear if SetCADPoint was 
> assigned to left click in Normal mode.
>
> I haven't been around Xastir since the big bang, so I'm looking at 
> things that many of you have seen evolve. I don't know the history 
> behind the decisions. I'm simply wondering aloud about why things 
> happen the way they do.
>
> I find it to be extra work to have to change modes, to change the 
> action of one button. In the *nix world, are modifier keys not used? 
> In the Windows world, you could probably access the Draw-CAD items by 
> CTRL-click, and perhaps the Measure items by SHIFT-click.
>
> It's much faster for an experienced user to simply press CTRL and 
> click rather than having to enable a menu item, and then click.
>
> Also, is it a Cygwin artifact, or do you have to hold down the right 
> mouse button and drag through the menu? Can the menu be set to stay 
> with simply a right click?
>
>> Come up with a better scheme and we might change it!  I don't think
>> a great deal of thought went into the whole scheme of things.  It
>> was built a piece at a time and things patched in to open mouse
>> operations for the mode.
>
>
> That's one of the main strengths and weaknesses of an open source 
> multi-author project. Many things get done, but the overall scheme of 
> things can be a bit disjointed.
>
> I'm simply stating what I see from my perspective. Xastir is still my 
> #1 APRS client... Auuggghhhhh! I've been assimilated!
>
> BTW, Xastir is touted as being multiplatform... all the *nix 
> platforms, and Mac OSX... etc. I thought to myself "Okay, Windows is 
> too far removed to be able to use the same source code". However, I 
> ran into a video client that is open source, and compilable across 
> *nix, Mac OSX, and Windows. www.videolan.org/vlc/
>
> Can anyone explain to a dummy how that works? If it can be done for 
> that program, would it be possible to create Xastir source code that 
> could compile into a Windows native client?

Simple, it's the coders, I'm assuming. No one wants to fool with having 
to code for windows, I think. Don't you already see how unstable and 
poor the windows platform is, even though they've improved. Think of how 
it would be code for it(it's improved). If one program crashes, chances 
are there goes the system(or in XP it just restarts itself somewhat, it 
still crashes though, you just have to be smart enough to see it). If 
you want to code a windows version, feel free, it's open-source.

>
> Those poor Windows dependent saps really need to have access to the 
> great features available in Xastir. Sometimes you can't drag the 
> customer to you, sometimes you have to demean yourself and go to the 
> customer.

Cygwin(as has been discussed earlier in this topic), heck set-up a Linux 
box with ssh access and X. Then install nxserver-freenx. Get the client 
for windows. Make an account to use. Use the client on the windows box 
and log-in on the Linux box. Whamo, you have a Linux X session running, 
and it isn't using too much resources.

Also, it seems that this is slightly off topic in mouse actions vs modes.

>
> James
> VE6SRV
>
-KD5WCR
Chris

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