Slashdot Mirror
Mouse or Trackball?
Loconut1389 writes "I've been an avid mouse user for years, but lately all of the wrist movements have added up and combined with a desire for some added precision when not using my tablet in photoshop, I decided to purchase a large trackball. Logitech makes a few with a small, thumb controlled ball, but it looked like you'd get a tired thumb and have no added precision. After searching around, it seems that the only large one really available is a Kensington for about $90. Only CompUSA seemed to even carry the kensington in-store (and had none in stock). After ordering one online and using it for a few days now, I don't know how I ever lived with a mouse. The trackball has better precision, less wrist movement, and even gaming is pretty cool/easy with it (can spin it to whip around real quick, etc). All that said, it seems like trackballs have all but vanished except in medical fields (sonograms, etc) and perhaps graphic arts. I'm left insanely curious why trackballs haven't resurfaced now that optical technologies have fixed the main problems of old trackballs (and mice). Do you use a trackball? If so, are you in graphic design?"
My favorite input device has been a Kensington Turbo Mouse. It's a large trackball, a design I have been using for years going back to the original 1.0. They are great in reducing Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and allow more precision in control which is important for digital imagery work and image forensics.
;-) of course, on satellite imagery workstations back in 1990 and had to have one for my Mac systems. Unfortunately I had to endure a mouse with just about all of my SGI systems as the trackballs for those systems were either unavailable or just did not work as well as the mouse of hockey puck and digitizing board.
For a traditional mouse, Apple's Mighty Mouse is pretty good, but it simply does not have the robust reliability that the Kensington track balls have. For most of the Kensington trackball's history, they used high quality bearings which were nice and robust, but dirt could get trapped in between stalling the cursor movement. Recently with the Expert Mouse however, they have gone to a glass/plastic? bearing with an optical tracking mechanism that is far superior to just about anything else on the market.
It is interesting that the trackball has quite a long history. I first saw them, other than Missile Command
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
I use my fingers and arm more than my wrist when moving the mouse around. Never have any problems.
...try looking at HAPP controls http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/trackballs. htm.
Admittedly, they make them for the video gaming world, but they are just USB (or PS2) trackballs. You can mount them directly into a table top. Nothing like a 3" trackball to work from.
Life, the Universe, and Everything... in my image.
Spaceballs the pointing device! Spaceballs the T-shirt! Spaceballs the Coloring Book! Spaceballs the Lunch box! Spaceballs the Breakfast Cereal! Spaceballs the Flame Thrower (the kids love this one)
I'm a professional programmer, and spend about 50 hours a week typing, between work and home. I've found the best way to keep from having hand/wrist problems is to get regular exercise. I haul my ass to the gym 2-3 times a week like clockwork to lift weights and run. Since I've started, my hand problems have cleared up completely.
I like trackballs too. It's a mystery to me as well why they're not more widely available.
I like my little mousy nipple! :D The Trackpoint is awesome.
Gorkman
Forgot to mention that Logitech's driver for them, though, is a piece of shit. Consistently crashes Windows XP, and is outrageously huge. If you look carefully, you can find their old driver versions posted here and there on the web (which actually work, and aren't 45MB downloads).
In linux, though, I just have
InputDevice "LogitechMarble" "CorePointer"
and
# The following is for the Logitech Marble Trackball:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "LogitechMarble"
Driver "mouse"
# Option "CorePointer"
Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Buttons" "9"
# Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
Option "EmulateWheel" "1"
Option "EmulateWheelButton" "8"
Option "EmulateWheelInertia" "5"
Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
Option "ChordMiddle"
Option "XAxisMapping" "6 7"
Option "YAxisMapping" "4 5"
in my xorg.conf file. Works perfectly. Wish I could get the Windows behavior to be the same!
I use the Kensington Expert Mouse (4-button, spinny wheel for scrolling, big ball) for nearly everything at home. My travel device is a Logitech Trackman Marble; it has the bonus that the ball stays in it at odd angles and you can put it nearly anywhere. Either is unequviocally and totally superior to any mouse I've ever used.
My Expert Mouse developed a minor nuisance, I forget what, and I asked Kensington about it. They sent me a new one as a replacement, free. Right there, we see the price difference between the Expert Mouse and cheap crap mice evaporate.
I hate mice. I love trackballs.
If you're doing a lot of graphics, you might also pick up a tablet.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
I like my little mousy nipple! :D The Trackpoint is awesome.
I prefer to call it the Computer Clit(TM).
Obligatory xkcd link.
I had the large 3" ball from Kensington with 4 buttons. I used it for a year, but kept on getting wrist tendonitis, even after trying many different positions and or supports. My wrist and fingers went back to normal after switchiiiing back to a mouse.
I've been using a mouse for computer work, with a fair amount of gaming for 13 years now with no problems.
I suspect that there will be a subset of the population that does better with trackball devices, but the market has shown which device people prefer - the mouse.
..........FULL STOP.
There is actually a company that licensed the design from IBM and makes them - with and without Windows Keys (none for me thanks), and standard IBM click - or - mushy, crappy, gonna fail in a few years membrane. Havent tried them, but people claim they (the clicky ones) are as durable and well designed as the Mfg'd by Lexmark IBM Model M's (which is to say, slightly less durable, but still damn near indestructible). ( http://pckeyboard.com/ ) On a funny but very entirely true story (stories actually), I actually put that indestructible-ness to the test.
Back in 86 I worked for Valcom Computer (prolly never heard of them unless you were big into buying IBM's in the mid 80's). People would come in and ask "Why is the IBM keyboard $100 and the others $10-40?" So, I'd unplug an IBM from one of our computers, put it on the floor (tossing it tends to pop the overcaps on the keys), and then proceed to step on it, bounce up and down on it, etc... pick it back up and ask "If this was your cheap little $40 keyboard, would you want to plug it back in now and hope you didnt fry your keyboard controller or at the very least hope it still worked?" - then plug the beast back in and load the keyboard test and hit every key.
A number of years later, at a different job, after doing something similar with coworkers, we decided to see just how indestructible they were... so, after (obviously) passing the stop on it test, we took it out back and parked an Isuzu Trooper on it... then hit the gas... they keyboard went flying across the asphalt about 30 feet... was scuffed on the bottom, and of course worked fine. By that time, we were getting kinda desparate in our attempts to destroy it under something that resembled normal use, and were standing in the front of the stoor - where we saw a city bus stop at the corner (our storefront was 2 doors down from the light)... we ran out, put the Model M right in front of the big back wheels, and waited... the bus slowly crawled up (like people tend to do while waiting for a light) which put the wheel right on top of the keyboard. Finally the light changed, the bus took off, we ran out, grabbed the keyboard, waved to the guy behind the bus who was watching us with a mixture of amusement and "I think they are crazy" look on his face, and plugged it in...
So, having passed that test (yes, of course it still worked - it was only a city bus)... we decided to go upstairs and launch it off the roof (3 story drop). We threw it as far outward as possible adding to the distance travelled considerably. The keyboard must have went in total 150 feet between it's downward drop of 3 stories and the distance we launched it horizontally.
The ancient Model M's casing cracked or split in a number of places, the keycaps flew everywhere, it looked horrendous - but STILL worked.
We took a blowtorch (propane pipe welding torch like what a plumber uses) and took that to the outer casing... the weird stuff they use kinda smoldered on the outside, turning brown and black, but didnt burn through. Looked more like a bad scare from a surface burn on a human (like a cigarette burn).
Finally, we "destroyed" it with a sledge hammer. Mostly though, the hammer just ended up crushing the round key holders that rise up from the inner plastic cover - and probably a few of the keyswitches.
Neat thing is it was still easily fixable since we could have just replaced the inner and upper cover and a few keyswitches and been done (for far cheaper than a new Model M)... but we had a couple dozen at the time, so it didnt really matter and we just kept it as a conversation piece. Somewhere I have shards of the outer casing still...
Years and years ago, I gave my mom one of them... (Model M) ancient one, metal IBM logo and all... she still uses it and refuses to give it up - begging, offering to buy it, whatever... doesnt work.
And me, I have 2 Model M-13s, and slowly acquiring more... and will keep them till they die (if I dont die of old age first)... my M/M13 keyboards have outlasted every computer I have had - and will continue to do so.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
Once, when I first had wrist pain, I bought a giant Crayola trackball. It was 5-6" in diameter. Overall, it was very comfortable to use, but because it was designed for children, the buttons were on the top of the trackball instead of the bottom. Also, it required a serial port.
I ended up hooking it up to my Fraternity's jukebox computer. The drunks loved it.
No, I will not work for your startup
Try using a laser mouse instead, optical mice are good and cheap but if you want control and accuracy get a high res laser mouse and put it on whatever surface you want.
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
What's a clit?
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
OK, your method ensures a clean desk, which is neat, but perhaps you should try lifting the mouse and reposition it at the opposite edge of the mousepad when you reach the edge and the pointer isn't "there yet". It won't hurt anything, if that's what worries you. I am curious: what would you do if you added another monitor? Upgrade to an A2 sheet?
-Lasse
I know you're not going to believe this, but way back in the 80s and 90s, there used to be these little rubber mats that you could, get this, pay for, to put your mouse on. Is that crazy or what? "Mouse Pads" they called them, and you used to be able to get them with pretty much anything you wanted on them, it was a hoot I tell ya. The crazy stuff we did when we were kids.
Check out my sysadmin blog!
You must be very intelligent....
Sig ?