RE: Key bindings proposal

[Drew Adams]

> > I would even guess that most Windows users never use the 
> > ALT key in a Windows-specific way (except for CONTROL-ALT-DELETE)
> > and never use the Window key at all.  For one thing, most are not
> > programmers (another guess), and most interact with Windows using
> > the mouse most of the time, not the keyboard.  And
> > my guess is that _very_ few (proportionally) users of 
> > Windows use menu accelerators.
> 
> Here is a lesson from MS on using MS Word:
> http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/
> work-with-the-keyboard-RZ006078589.aspx?section=9
> 
> It mentions explicitly Alt+Letter.

So what?  No one said that menu accelerators do not _exist_.
And no one said that Microsoft has no doc describing them.

I say that my guess is that the percentage of Windows users that regularly use -
or even who have _ever_ tried to use - menu accelerators is very, very, _very_
small.  It simply is not a large part of the global Windows experience.  That's
my guess.

Do do guess differently?  Do you guess that _most_ Windows users use menu
accelerators?  Or even 10% of Windows users?  Or 1%?  What's your guess?

Do your mother, sister, cousin, neighbor, doctor, dentist, car mechanic, and
grocer (who all use Windows no doubt) use Windows menu accelerators?  Have they
even heard of such a thing?

No way.  That's _my_ guess.

Would they care to use accelerators if you told them about their existence and
how terribly handy they are?  Point them to the URL you passed along as proof of
the importance.  See how quickly they adopt this feature that you feel is so
vital to Windows.

No way.  That's _my_ guess.