Re: Interleaf and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

[Charles Good <good -at- AUR -dot- ALCATEL -dot- COM>]

I use Interleaf on a SUN station, as well as Word for Windows on a PC
and Wordperfect for DOS on a PC.  I find that literally every word
processor and desktop publishing system is migrating toward
mouse-oriented, iconified methodologies. I see less and less use of
control/alt key & cursor movement (to next word, next sentence, next
paragraph) and more "use the mouse" dependance. The same is true with
delete word, delete to end of line, delete sentence, and delete
paragraph key sequences. Even the changes between Word 2.0 and Word 6.0
are dramatic in terms of control key sequences.

Since I was trained as a typist and make a living as a writer, I prefer
to keep my fingers on the keyboard and use multiple key sequence macros
to activate menu options. However, products like Interleaf have made
this next to impossible for many tasks since their macros are cursor
position dependent.

I suspect that it is very expensive for software vendors to support
both a key sequence and mouse environment. From a programming perspective,
I imagine the key sequence approach requires more lines of code and
presents the most risk in terms of code conflicts.

As for CTS. I have improved my odds (and lowered CTS risk) by working
at either L-shaped or V-shaped work desks where I can lay my forearm
(elbow to fingers) on the table top where the mouse is located. I have
less wrist flexing and gravity stress because mouse movement only
requires left-to-right movement like an old phonograph tonearm with a
small amount of forward-to-back movement.