ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Re: Computers and the Internet Light pen

The graphical nature of web pages makes "point & click" devices common, but am I alone in not favoring the now ubiquitous mouse as the ideal device for this task? I've tried trackballs and found them better, but still not ideal.

It's many years since I've used a light pen on a computer, but have been thinking along the lines that this might be the ideal device for navugating web pages.

Does anyone at ECN already use one for this purpose?

Use a light pen on the CRT or something else?

Paul,
This is one thing that I have wondered for years.
How does a Light Pen work?.

Paul:

Do you mean these ?

No -- It looks as though that company just produces pen "tablets" which are presumably some sort of touch-sensitive device.

I'm talking about the light pen which you actually touch directly onto the CRT screen.

Trumpy,
The pen is basically just a photo-diode and lens assembly which is used to detect the beam as it scans the face of the tube. At the instant the beam is detected on its scan, the system just checks the current X and Y coordinates from the video circuitry and you therefore have a precise indication of where the pen is on the screen.

Paul,
Having just read what you have submitted on the workings of a Light Pen, I would be inclined to think that a Light Pen would be the IDEAL tool to use as a substitute for a Mouse/Trackball.
And you would gain a wee bit more space on your desk, too!.