Er, so want to add an extra mouse so you can use touch gestures on a non-touch device? Can I ask why? What's so great about touch that means you want to try and replicate it?
One could ask how many people wanted or needed mice or multi-touch when they first came out. I'm guessing some, but not many. And I know how much I scoffed when MacOS debuted. Windows, too. Now look -- you can find them almost anywhere. Besides, it's not about two mice. It's about multi-touch, and getting it on the desktop should people be interested. Mark Shuttleworth wants to get Ubuntu on 200 million devices? Maybe not leaving some of the potential market behind might help.
I've tried Windows 8, and I hate it! Maybe I'd hate it less if some of the new stuff for non-PC devices bled over into the PC camp. However, I know exactly what kind of chances there are for anything like Multi-Mouse to happen in Windows. Apple won't bother, either. The big boys don't need it.
Do the little guys? Don't know. Figured I'd put the idea out there somewhere, and if they think it's cool, they'll run with it.
Want the truth? I'VE NEVER TRIED multi-touch! No smart phone, no tablet -- nothing! Even so, it looks cool, and I have to figure that something about it has to be practical. Cool-looking but useless doesn't tend to last too long in this marketplace. I figure that the hardware is dirt cheap and easy to get, so the big thing would be the software. My hope is that much existing code could be reused with little effort. Should that be true, Multi-Mouse could make for a more unified experience across platforms, lessening the impact of trying to adapt to using a device different from the ones you're used to. It also might make it easier to write OSes and applications once and run them anywhere. That last thing seems like it would be worthwhile for the software guys to shoot for, since it would reduce their costs.
The big guys don't need anything like this, so they won't bother. If the smaller guys can't do this right, they can scuttle the project quietly or simply not bother -- no problem. But if they can do it right, and they choose to, they can steal a march on the big guys. With the Ubuntu for Android initiative, Ubuntu may have many new eyes on it. If the owner of these new eyes decide to try out Ubuntu on their desktop machines, a more consistent experience between the two platforms might make the difference between their keeping Ubuntu on those machines and their hosing it off in disappointment or disgust.
Face it: You want to take over the world, you gotta think of some powerful, weird stuff!
What would you do with two mice that you cant do with one? How would this improve functionality?
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