The 150-Year-Old Device That Made a 50-Year-Old IDE Rock

IDE Nostalgia: Programming NLS in 1972: Keyset, Mouse, and Viewspecs

The 150-Year-Old Device That Made a 50-Year-Old IDE Rock

In 1972, David Maynard used NLS, Doug Engelbart's groundbreaking system, to edit code with a keyset and mouse. The keyset, a 19th-century telegraph input, enabled chording commands without touching the keyboard, while viewspecs allowed instant filtering and outlining. Maynard argues this setup was faster and more fluid than modern editors, and laments that the keyset's learning curve hindered adoption, quoting Engelbart's tricycle analogy.

There should be a keyset under your left hand anytime there is a mouse under your right hand!

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2026-08-19