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From: rcb@rti-sel.UUCP (Random)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: default menu item selection
Message-ID: <88@rti-sel.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Feb-85 12:59:14 EST
Article-I.D.: rti-sel.88
Posted: Wed Feb  6 12:59:14 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Feb-85 08:21:37 EST
References: <722@ihuxa.UUCP> <778@sdcsla.UUCP>
Reply-To: rcb@rti-sel.UUCP (Random)
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, NC
Lines: 20
Summary: 

In article <778@sdcsla.UUCP> norman@sdcsla.UUCP (Donald A. Norman) writes:
>In article <722@ihuxa.UUCP> steffen@ihuxa.UUCP (Joe Steffen) writes:
>>When you press a mouse button to pop-up a menu, should the top item be the
>>default selection, or the last item you selected on the menu?  The latter
>>has the advantage that clicking the menu button repeats the last operation,
>
>An important principle, but one little remarked upon, is that of spatial
>consistency.  Spatial information is a very important and powerful cue for
>remembering things.  It is important not to violate this principle.   A
>pop-up menu that reogranizes itself with each usage violates this principle.
>(I am almost tempted to say that it violates human decency, but that, of
>course, would be flaming.)

	How about this. the menu has all the selections normally plus a
blank entry at the top (where the mouse initially points). Then after each
usage, the last used entry is duplicated in the default slot.

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