One-button mouse: simple success or tired relic?

By Barb Dybwad

The Mac is often much-maligned, and falsely so, for not supporting the two-button mouse. We all know the fact of the matter is Apple has supported the two-button mouse since OS 8.6, and never hesitate to dispel the myth – yet we also turn around and secretly scratch our heads over why Apple doesn't just start shipping two-button mice standard with their machines, already.

Gear Live contributor Andru writes a
missive in defense of the one-button mouse. His three main pillars are as follows:

  • The majority of computer users don't use the two-button mouse on either platform ("Giving the average person a
    right mouse button is like giving a bald man a comb.").
  • It encourages developers to stick to the Apple standard of providing a way to access all application functions
    from a single mouse click in a menu.
  • The un-average user who will desire a two-button mouse will more often than not chuck out their two-button and go
    with some higher order of multi-button mouse, anyway. Why bother sending a two-button, then?

Admittedly, two-button mousing is a whole new world. But I can definitely see the argument for simplicity for the
*average* user, of which I am not one. What's your verdict – is Apple wise with the zen of the one-button mouse, or is it time to ship the double-clickers already?

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