Keyboard And Mice Programs
Keyboard control tools enable you to change your keyboard mapping so you can type with one hand, or with a different two-handed layout. One-handed typing tools may help, but be VERY careful about how you use them - if you keep the same overall typing workload you are doubling your hand use for the hand that you use for typing, and may therefore simply cause your remaining "good" hand/arm to deteriorate rapidly. There is probably a large number of people who have worsened their RSI in this way and regret it.
Mouse control tools change the way your mouse works to avoid or modify operations that are painful - mouse dragging is a common problem.
Darryn Davis
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MButton (freeware)
MButton is an EXE and DLL that hooks into the middle button message and generates a double click instead. It will work with both Windows NT (i386) and Windows 95. However, it is aimed for users of Windows NT who have a 3 button mouse and wish to have middle button functionality.
From: Grahame[SMTP:
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]
Reply To:
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Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 1997 5:40 AM
To:
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Subject: Middle mouse button utility for Windows NT
Greetings,
I've had quite a few requests for the NT middle mouse button utility, (turns the middle button into a double click), so I've placed it in the list files.
You can get it by sending a message to:
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with any subject line, no signature, and a single line in the body of the message which should read:
GET rsi-uk mbutton.zip
The file will then be e-mailed to you.
NOTE: Don't send these requests to rsi-uk, send them to rsi-uk-admin
Cheers,
Grahame
Dvorak Keyboard Tools
X window system software, via anonymous ftp
ftp://ftp.cs.princeton.edu/pub/typing-injury/software/xgdvorak.sh.Z
Microsoft systems
Standard in Microsoft Windows, Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT Available as a free add-on for MS-DOS
To quote the Microsoft documentation
Dvorak keyboard layouts are based on designs created by August Dvorak, a professor at the University of Washington during the 1930s and 1940s. Dr. Dvorak studied the way people type standard English, and determined the most common letter combinations. He then designed new keyboard layouts to speed up typing and reduce fatigue. These layouts, now called Dvorak or simplified keyboards, were initially developed for two-handed typists. Following World War II, Dvorak layouts were developed for typists who use the right or left hand alone.
It is doubtful that switching to Dvorak will have a major impact on RSI, but it may be helpful in preventing RSI. If you do switch, your typing rate will go down a lot initially, which will help!
Microsoft Windows products support Dvorak as a standard keyboard layout - look in the International setup in the Control panel.
MS-DOS supports this via the MS-DOS Supplemental Disk, available from Microsoft, which includes standard and one-handed Dvorak layouts. These layouts are available for Windows in Application Note GA0650, available from Microsoft or from various online services as GA0650.ZIP.
Training and keycap stickers for the Dvorak layout are available from:
KEYTIME
4516 NE 54th St.
Seattle, WA 98105-2933
(206) 324-7219 (voice and fax)
If you are also looking at alternative keyboards, you might also like to look at the Maltron layout, which is claimed to be more efficient than Dvorak. See the alternative keyboard FAQ for supplier details.
hsh
Allows one-handed typing and other general keyboard remappings. Only works through tty's (so you can use it with a terminal or an xterm, but not most X programs).
For one-handed or two-handed typing.
The half qwerty keyboard is ideal for One-Handedness, Hemiplegia, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other hand-related injuries
Free Demos:
PC: ftp://explorer.dgp.toronto.edu/pub/Half-QWERTY/1handemo.zip
Also, available on floppy from the company.
Price: $395 + shipping ($5) (higher in Canada, quantity discounts available) Shipping: Now.
Compatibility: Mac, DOS, and Windows.
Half-QWERTY is software that turns your standard keyboard into a one-handed keyboard. Touch-typists can learn it with little or no retraining.
When you hold down the space bar, all the keys under your hand change to those that would normally fall under the same fingers of your other hand. The space bar is still used for typing spaces. It differentiates based on the duration you hold it down.
When you are not holding down the space bar, you can use your keyboard as a normal two-handed keyboard (maybe you want to switch from one to two-handed typing depending on your task, i.e., whether you are using your mouse).
- Free commercial software
- Compatibility: Windows
The Microsoft Windows family of products is designed to make PC's easier to use for everyone, from PC professionals to average users, including those users with disabilities. To meet this goal, Microsoft provides Access Pack for Microsoft Windows. Access Pack for Microsoft Windows is a set of utilities that make it easier for users with motion related disabilities to use the keyboard and mouse. Users that desire visual feedback rather than sounds will also find Access Pack valuable. A PC with Access Pack installed is ideal for settings where computers are used by multiple people, such as public or workgroup machines. Machines with Access Pack can easily be used by both those individuals that require its additional features and those that do not.
226 Jeter St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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RSIGuard
- Shareware
- Compatibility: Windows 95/98/NT
- Available: Direct, free 45-day trial ($40 registration)
RSIGuard was designed by a software engineer experiencing RSI symptoms. Not finding what he wanted in other RSI-related software, he decided to write what he personally needed.
BreakTimer is the most useful break timer available because it models your body's stress and has a much better idea of when you need to take a break.
DataLogger is a complete activity logger that lets you and your health professional monitor how you are using the computer. Stress from typing and mousing are separately stored, as well as typing speed. Hours of work per day as well as how much break time you take is recorded. Using 'RSIGuard Reports', this data can be viewed in graphs over the course of months to watch trends, or verify reductions in work intensity.
AutoClick is a tool designed to avoid one of the most trauma-causing computer actions—clicking a mouse. AutoClick clicks the mouse for you whenever you stop moving the cursor.
ForgetMeNots is a behavior modifier based on the Feldenkrais™ method that keeps you aware of your body. ForgetMeNots shows you tips at times of day you specify. It reminds you to be aware of how you're using your body and the computer. Tips are dynamically selected based on how you're working and from a list of tips you select. You can also add your own reminders to the list. |
Software 