[sw-l] Mouse Pad

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
February 15, 2005

Ronald Dettloff wrote:
> How about a Mouse Pad that places the symbol on the exact sign space
> depending on where you touch the pad?

Hello Ron and Everyone!
Thank you for this suggestion. This would be cool, that is for sure!

However creating a Mouse Pad that was smart, and knew SignWriting,
would be very costly to develop and to sell. It would not be good for
the general public, because it would mean that people would have to buy
the mouse pad. Meanwhile, with our software that already exists, we are
able to type or create signs without any special equipment...so it is
my experience that is more practical than requiring people to buy
special devices...

Years ago, we had templates for writing SignWriting by hand with ink
pens. We also had special transfer sheets of wax symbols, that required
people to purchase the templates and transfer sheets...Not that many
people had the money or desire to purchase the equipment...

But a computer is different, because people have computers for other
reasons...So I hope that software development that is not dependent on
special devices will help the world access SignWriting easily...

I assume you are using SignPuddle, Ron? How is that going, for your
Deaf Church members in Michigan?

Val ;-)