[Elecraft] The case against touch screens

[Dauer, Edward]

 Me too.  I never thought of it as low capacitance fingers, but I avoid gas stations whose pumps I know require touch entries for zip codes, in contrast to those with a key pad.

As for aircraft, I have no experience in the military but long experience in GA proves right what Wayne said in another post -- if it's really important, it has to feel right.  There's a reason why the gear lever in GA craft is shaped like a wheel, the flap actuation switch feels like a flap, the power lever feels like a throttle, and to turn left you either push the stick left or turn the heading bug left.

And finally, as the tremors come with age, hitting any but the larger touch-screen buttons requires attention and is increasingly slow.

Soft keys afford the flexibility without some of the problems.


Ted, KN1CBR

  


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    Message: 11
    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2019 18:51:40 +0000 (UTC)
    From: Al Lorona <alorona at sbcglobal.net>
    To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
    Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The case against touch screens
    Message-ID: <896285231.9781866.1553539900350 at mail.yahoo.com>
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
    
    I don't think you guys understood me. I shouldn't have veiled my concern with a tongue-in-cheek post.
    
    So I will be direct. I was referring to the physiological event of touching a screen with a finger. It must be just me, because a large percentage of the time a touch screen does not respond to my finger. I have experienced this at ATMs, at the self checkout at Home Depot, at the airport, on my smart phone, etc. When you have to stand there, tapping over and over to get them to respond, touch screens just aren't as reliable, responsive, accurate, or fast as a control.
    
    Touch screens are beautiful, but they seem to ignore me. My fingers are low-capacitance, I guess! For that reason, I wouldn't tolerate one any more than I would tolerate a sticky volume control that took three or four twists before the volume turned up. None of us would put up with that.
    
    I'm a little surprised others haven't had the same experience as Thaddeus. Maybe they're just too shy to admit it.
    
    The next time you tap something on your phone, and you have to tap again to get it to work, I want you to think of me.
    
    Al? W6LX