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Best Mouse For Programming?
LosManos writes "Which is the best programming mouse? Mandatory musts are wireless, and that it doesn't clog up like old mechanical mice. Present personal preferences are for: lots of buttons, since if I have moved my hand away from the keyboard I can at least do something more than move the pointer; sturdy feeling; not too light, so it doesn't move around by me accidentally looking at it." What would you recommend?
Since when can you use a mouse in Emacs or VI?
I've found most KVMs make it so my wireless input devices don't work. :(
Isn't this kind of like asking, "What are the best training wheels to use on the Tour de France?"
Elite programmers should be using an environment where they don't have to use the mouse at all, or use it minimally. They know key commands for everything, except maybe when you want to test out a mouse feature, in which case you can't assume the user has a cool mouse anyway.
Information theory is life. The rest is just the KL divergence.
I use a keyboard with an IBM trackpoint so i don't keep moving my right hand between keyboard and mouse. It takes a little to get used to it, but it worth the try! http://www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing/trkpnt.html
I never want to have to worry about replacing batteries, recharging, or waiting for the mouse to make up from sleep on anything as core to my workflow as a mouse.
Personally I think that any good gaming mouse works well for coding. You've got your extra buttons (which mostly just give you an extra forward/back in your browser) and good accuracy. I'm a fan of my Razer Diamondback, although by this point the grippy paint they put on it is coming off so it looks a bit shabby.
I would say with 100 certainty that your keyboard is ten times more important than your mouse for programming. The mouse just has to not get in your way.
There simply isn't a better mouse in the world. All the fancy X11/Compiz shortcuts you actually need can go on it, rechargable batteries, easy to move and most of all, incredibly ergonomic.
Plus that endless scroll feature is perfect for grokking long walls of code.
Wireless with built in rechargable battery that lasts several days easily for me. Lots of buttons, the scroll wheel is very nice, you can keep it in standard click mode, or use free scrolling, or toggle between the two easily; automatically or manually.
Fully programmable with lots of buttons, forward/back, and the cool thumb quick flip thing.
It contours very well in the hand, and I really like the extra lip under the thumb. It has some nice weight to it, but it's not too heavy to be tiresome. Overall it's the best mouse I've every owned.
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I do all my programming by floating through a giant VR simulation of the computer's memory with various bits of code randomly located in countless giant towers. I don't see why you would need a "mouse" for such a thing.
First of all, I'd suggest not wireless if you are worried about it 'moving' around with you not looking. Almost any wireless mouse I've used does that sometimes, with the exception of Gyration. (Microsoft, Logitech, and several off brands) Second of all, if you want sturdy feeling, you might go for one of the cases based on the Logitech mx500 (including the G5) or some of the similarly shaped Microsoft mice. (Unless you are left-handed.) The Logitech mx518 I'm using has at least 3 buttons which can be mapped to something useful. (Intended as forward, back, and app-switch. I think you can remap the +/- resolution buttons, but I haven't bothered)
I had a Kensington wireless mouse that you could charge while you were using it through a simple USB cable. I thought it was great because I didn't have to worry about putting it in some silly dock and wait every time I forgot to charge it and it went dead on me.
Of course, it didn't take long before I just started using it plugged in all the time, giving me an overly expensive wired mouse.
I have been programming since 1971.
Back them I used punch cards.
Then, teletypes.
Now, I use a mouse and keyboard.
I definitely consider myself a "real" programmer.
Times change, so do tools.
Quite possibly the worst ask-slashdot question ever. While we're at it, let's also discuss the best mousepad for programming as well as the best type of wood for desks for programming.
Always proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
You're welcome.
Howdy.
While taste in mice and features vary, one thing I would vouch for, if you're right handed and have a full keyboard, is to learn to use your mouse with your left hand. I worked with Gene Korienek in the early 1990s and we discussed how to optimize mouse motion. Since the page navigation, Return key, and numeric pad are all on your right side, using your mouse with your left hand will make you more effective for some activities such as using spreadsheets, Photoshop, web surfing, etc. I went "mouse southpaw" since then -- super-comfortable.
Now... for programming I use MacVim and a number of plug-ins and extensions. When I'm programming, unless it's something that's got a GUI or it's iPhone/Mac specific, I seldom use the mouse. One of the biggest advantages of using a keyboard instead of a mouse is sensory memory. There are actions in Vim (and possibly TextMate, emacs, etc.) that you can execute automatically, without thinking about the exact key press sequence, and without having to lift your hands off the keyboard. Check into any of these editors, add the appropriate plug-ins (e.g. "UNIX is my IDE") and see what works best for you. I went from keyboard-only (TurboPascal, Turbo C, vi/UNIX) to GUI IDE (Smalltalk/V, Symantec Cafe, Visual Studio, IDEA) back to keyboard-only for most programming tasks. Now my coding is split between keyboard-only (scripting, Java, C, assembler) and GUI/mouse for only a few environments that leave you no other option (Xcode/Interface Builder).
Cheers!
E
http://eugeneciurana.com | http://ciurana.eu
While mildly funny, this reeks of elitism and untruth. You are associating memorization of esoteric editor commands and customization options with programming skill. While there's likely a good correlation, one can have one without the other.
On a separate note, modern IDEs, such as Eclipse, require the use of the mouse. I would argue that this streamlines the coding process, leaving the developer to focus on the actual design and logic.
Logitech MX-518 is the best gaming mouse I've ever used. High precision, no drift, works great on a variety of surfaces.
When I showed up for my first day of a programming job a few years ago (at a game development company), guess what mouse was plugged into my machine? Yep, an MX-518.
I have one at home, one at work and I've always been more satisfied with them.
I don't get why you would need a mouse for programming.. programming languages are typed, no?
Scroll wheel
Scroll bars
Select for cut/copy and paste
Menu options
Setting and going to bookmarks
Navigating the various browsers and dropdowns
Hovering over a variable in the debugger to see its value
Many more..
Yes...they all probably have keyboard equivalents, I just consider them awkward workarounds.
Remember, you can pound in a screw with a wrench if you really want to...
A mouse is sometimes the right tool for the job
That's what I was thinking: "A mouse for programming, WTF?"
The best mouse I have ever owned is my Logitech MX518. Previously I was a big fan of the regular Microsoft ball mice. I am a "twitch" gamer so I value high performance and accurate mice. Anyway, back to the MX518. As it's optical it never "clogs up" and it's wired so it always works 100% of the time with no batteries and no matter what interference is around. It has a variable sensitivity right in the mouse (no software needed) and has a high sample high for quick movement.
I was going to ask:
"What question can I ask that so lame as to be pointless, and will still enrage enough people to cause a flamewar?"
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on