Apples and RSI...

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Yesterday, I had an eye-opening experience.

I've been using computers extensively since about 1981.  That year, I
learned BASIC on a TRS-80 model I (at least it was Level II...), and
quickly moved up to the Apple ][+.  I first met the Apple ][e in about
1982, and one landed in my household in...uh, I think it was very late 1983.

All through high school (1984-1988) I practically lived in the computer
lab, pounding away on the ][e's, either writing Applesoft programs or
doing word processing, or whatever.

When I got to college, I still used the ][e at home extensively.  The
University had a computer lab; one side was IIgs's, the other side was IBM
PS-2/30's.  You can guess which machines I used.

After graduation, I was eventually hired by the university.  They
"upgraded" the computer lab, replacing the PS/2's with generic 80486
machines, and replacing the IIgs's with Macintosh Quadra 660AV's.  The old
machines were distributed across campus.  Two of the IIgs's went to the
television studio...one for my desk, one for production.

So I have been using various Apple ]['s for about sixteen years now.  The
computer lab just got another upgrade; this time they replaced the 80486
machines with Pentium machines (but they kept the Quadras).  Each of the
keyboards on the PCs now has a little orange sticker warning of the
dangers of Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).

Now, given the kind of computing I have been doing for the past sixteen
years, I would expect that I should have some sign of RSI by now.  But
d'ya know something?  I don't.  My fingers can break-dance, and my wrists
don't care at all one bit.  

A few weeks ago, I had a marathon session (total of about nine hours) on a
Macintosh and on my GS.  I was retouching photographs on the Mac so that I
could include them in a GraphicWriter III document, so I was doing some
extensive mousing with both the Mac and the IIgs.  Okay, so no problem. 

Yesterday, I spent about 90 minutes on a PC, running Corel PhotoPaint with
a Microsoft "ergonomic" mouse, retouching scanned logos that I wanted
to use with our video character generator (Chyron pc-CODI, if that
means anything to you).  By the time I went home, I could scarcely move my
hand.  In fact, it still hurts a little.

Now I begin to put 2+2 together, and realize something that we've known
all along.  I have been typing, mostly on computers, for about sixteen
years.  In that time, my computer use has been almost (but not
quite) exclusevely Apple ][.

Our Apples are better designed than "standard" PC's.  Real keyswitches,
sculpted keys with good spacing, a minimal (or in the case of the GS,
absent) space between the edge of the case and the front of the keyboard,
a mouse small enough to actually hold, that doesn't try to conform your
fingers to it...I think all of that, though it makes the Apple keyboards
and mice look puny compared to the 104-key behemoths and gigantic mice in
the PC world, probably does my hands and wrists far more good than all the
split keyboards, gel-filled wrist-rests (how can people type with those
damned things?) and other so-called "ergonomic" features put together. 

It is only a theory at this point...But I have to wonder...typewriters
have been around for ages, and so have word processors.  But most of us
had never even heard of "carpal tunnel syndrome" (or thought it had
something to do with clogged sewer pipes) before the rise of the
PC...in fact, it really wasn't until the inexpensive PC clones, with their
membrane keyboards arrived, that we started to hear about these RSI problems.

I just think it is interesting.  Anyone else have any thoughts?

--Dave Althoff, ][.
-- 
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