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Un-Click!!!

A backspace button for your mouse
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Have you ever clicked or double-clicked on something and immediately wished you hadn't? But now the computer is frozen temporarily and you're forced to sit and wait for whatever you opened to s l o w w w w l l l l y load up just so you can close it again?

Examples are numerous. I'll list some here:

* You accidentally open the wrong application from your desktop (e.g. MemoryHogger 2007 v2.1.1 instead of Notepad) and have to wait till it loads just so you can cancel it.

* You click a hyperlink in an email only to realize that it's pointing to a file on a shared server which you know always takes 10 minutes to access; had you known, you would not have clicked it, or would have navigated to the outer folder but not the file itself.

* You accidentally double-click something which you *know* causes the computer to begin checking credentials for 5 minutes and then display "Access not available" - but there is no Cancel button to click on while you wait.

* You click on anything, and something starts happening, but you don't know what or why. You don't know what you did, all you know is that you regret doing it and your whole life could have been different if only you had not done this.

Obviously for this functionality to be implemented, there would have to be a direct link from the Un-Click button to the underlying operating system (even lower-level than the user interface itself). This would be TOUGH. But I think it's a more valuable thing for computer makers to work on than the "widgets", "3-D shadow effects" and "semi-transparent windows" that they are currently spending their time on.

Thank you.

phundug, Dec 21 2008

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       You can do this already (for clicking on the wrong program) just use the task manager (ctrl alt del or right click the start menu) and go to the processes tab and cancel what ever service is rapidly raising the cpu and ram usage. To cancel opening a file on a network via the standard Windows manager on Windows xp or vista cancel the process "explorer.exe" then either press the windows logo key on your keyboard, or type explorer into the run program form.   

       What your wanting is a dynamic application that records your usage but this application in turn would then use up resources generally slowing down everything ultimately eliminating its usefulness.
saltynay, Dec 21 2008
  

       Not quite the same, but in traditional UNIX-like systems, right clicking on the desktop gives you, among others, the 'kill' command, which turns your pointer into a little skull-and-crossbones. The next thing you click on bites the dust, finished opening or not. I love that little guy.
spidermother, Dec 24 2008
  

       If you realize your mistake while the button is still down, simply move the mouse off the button before releasing the mouse button. (Doesn't work for double-clicking, though.)
DrCurry, Dec 25 2008
  

       \\ If the app is still alive after one 10th of a second, the OS simply kills  … gets the XP dog to crap on its folder icon  … \\   

       I do not have any idea what that means, but it sure made me laugh!   

       I do not have anything to add. Over my depth here.
Sir_Misspeller, Dec 26 2008
  
      
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