I really need the arrow keys! I do a lot of editing of small bits of text in multiple languages (which often means switching keyboards for different character sets).
Despite several months of experience, I find the maginifier method way too slow and cumbersome. I might just want to go back one or two letters (quicker to delete and retype!) or the previous word.
I also often copy & paste test, which takes ages!
1. Hold/pause -
2. then fiddle about for a few seconds to get the right letters highlighted
3. select copy/paste
4. switch to another field/app
5. spend a few seconds putting the cursor in the right place
5. hold/pause
6. paste
This whole sequence usually takes me at least 10 seconds. If I do it on my PC, I can do it in 3 seconds flat.
There's no point in using 3rd-party apps to type and then copy/paste them into another app, that also takes ages to faff around between apps.
So the question is: how do I modify the keyboards to include additional functionality? How about a way to program certain key combinations (remember the original keyboards 'in the old days' had ctrl-cominbations to move the cursor or copy & paste?)?
What kind of hacks are available to go in a alter the OS code at least temporarily between upgrades?
I'm even thinking of jailbreaking my ipad if that will provide a solution.
I already have another compelling reason to jailbreak my ipad, and that is so that I can use flash.
I develop online educational products and we have decided that the best way to incorporate platform-wide content is to do it in flash. Many of my customers have iPads, so I will have to incorporate jailbreaking software and instructions with all our products if that becomes necessary.
My personal rant:
I'm more and more surprised every day I use the iPad how limiting it is. I never used Apple products before, but I thought they were designed to make things easier and more convenient - but I'm not impressed at all.
I was going to switch all our PC notebooks to the new Macbooks, but I decided to just buy more Windows notebooks. I'm impressed with Windows 7 (but not at all with vista when it came out). I was frustrated with Microsoft in the past, but I have a new respect for them now.
They try really hard to give users choice in how they want to work, not try to force people to comply with the system. In fact, I remember (in the 90's) that the main popularity and reason for Microsoft's success was that every other computer system forced you to work their way - and every system was different.
I used to train people how to use their computer systems. In the end, I became a consultant who developed interfaces that worked according to the user's requirements and preferences. It seems that Apple has decided to go the way of Wang (does anyone still remember Wang????) and dictate to their customers how they should use their machines.
Thank goodness there are android and other devices out there. Just as we all thanked IBM and Microsoft for allowing us to ditch the Wang wordprocessor and replace them with the more flexible machines.
______________________________________________________
PS I've been searching various forums for answers and found the "outdated thread" - I'm hoping someone would have come up with a solution by now. Yes, it's been a year since Apple refused to support flash. Is that going to change anytime soon? Is there any good reason why they shouldn't support it - in which case, how does one access flash-based sites - or is that something that (well-behaved) iPad users are expected never to want to do? And how does one develop browser/platform-independent audiovisual websites without using flash?
Despite several months of experience, I find the maginifier method way too slow and cumbersome. I might just want to go back one or two letters (quicker to delete and retype!) or the previous word.
I also often copy & paste test, which takes ages!
1. Hold/pause -
2. then fiddle about for a few seconds to get the right letters highlighted
3. select copy/paste
4. switch to another field/app
5. spend a few seconds putting the cursor in the right place
5. hold/pause
6. paste
This whole sequence usually takes me at least 10 seconds. If I do it on my PC, I can do it in 3 seconds flat.
There's no point in using 3rd-party apps to type and then copy/paste them into another app, that also takes ages to faff around between apps.
So the question is: how do I modify the keyboards to include additional functionality? How about a way to program certain key combinations (remember the original keyboards 'in the old days' had ctrl-cominbations to move the cursor or copy & paste?)?
What kind of hacks are available to go in a alter the OS code at least temporarily between upgrades?
I'm even thinking of jailbreaking my ipad if that will provide a solution.
I already have another compelling reason to jailbreak my ipad, and that is so that I can use flash.
I develop online educational products and we have decided that the best way to incorporate platform-wide content is to do it in flash. Many of my customers have iPads, so I will have to incorporate jailbreaking software and instructions with all our products if that becomes necessary.
My personal rant:
I'm more and more surprised every day I use the iPad how limiting it is. I never used Apple products before, but I thought they were designed to make things easier and more convenient - but I'm not impressed at all.
I was going to switch all our PC notebooks to the new Macbooks, but I decided to just buy more Windows notebooks. I'm impressed with Windows 7 (but not at all with vista when it came out). I was frustrated with Microsoft in the past, but I have a new respect for them now.
They try really hard to give users choice in how they want to work, not try to force people to comply with the system. In fact, I remember (in the 90's) that the main popularity and reason for Microsoft's success was that every other computer system forced you to work their way - and every system was different.
I used to train people how to use their computer systems. In the end, I became a consultant who developed interfaces that worked according to the user's requirements and preferences. It seems that Apple has decided to go the way of Wang (does anyone still remember Wang????) and dictate to their customers how they should use their machines.
Thank goodness there are android and other devices out there. Just as we all thanked IBM and Microsoft for allowing us to ditch the Wang wordprocessor and replace them with the more flexible machines.
______________________________________________________
PS I've been searching various forums for answers and found the "outdated thread" - I'm hoping someone would have come up with a solution by now. Yes, it's been a year since Apple refused to support flash. Is that going to change anytime soon? Is there any good reason why they shouldn't support it - in which case, how does one access flash-based sites - or is that something that (well-behaved) iPad users are expected never to want to do? And how does one develop browser/platform-independent audiovisual websites without using flash?
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