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Where can I Find the Perfect Mouse?
Roar Lauritzsen asks: "After enabling scrolling with the wheel of my Logitech mouse in Linux/X, I find it indispensable. But holding the mouse in a natural grip while using the middle finger to scroll is quite uncomfortable, and soon after enabling this feature my hand started to hurt. To ease the pain I am now trying the Anir vertical mouse, but I don't think I like it. Personally, I think the thumb would be perfect for scrolling, but I have been unable to find a 3-button mouse (a must in X) with a wheel on the side for the thumb. What do YOU think is the perfect mouse, and where can I buy it? "
Use duct tape, it'll get rid of the sniper problem.
I personally am a big fan of my logitech cordless mouse. I know it's just a regular mouse without the tail, but it's easier to maneuver. Preference I guess.
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everyone was born right-handed, only the greatest overcome it.
http://leftorium.net
I recently bought a logitech trackball. I got the expensive one. I have to say though it was worth it. I find it much easier on the wrist. I also play quake with it much better. Although it did take a week to get used to it. It's also completly optical. A friend of mine liked it so much that he bought himself one.
It has been statistically shown that helmets increase the risk of head injury.
I am quite happy with the Logitech wheel mouse that I bought last year. The OS/2 driver maps the wheel to the cursor keys and therefore enables older not wheel mouse ready applications. The wheel is a great idea. (thanks to Microsoft). Logitech has at least two mice with wheels. The FirstMouse+ and the MouseMan+.
Trust me, after a few weeks of training, using the middle finger for scrolling will seem just natural. And, of course, a strengthened middle finger will come handy if you're in need for a quick obscene gesture.
So, my question to you all: is there a desktop keyboard out there that has a "nipple" mouse embedded in it? If there is, that would be my vote for best.
tia
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the best mouse I personally have ever used is a logitech trackman marble+
it is in the shape of your palm, has two buttons and a scroll wheel. you move the pointer around with your thumb on the ball.
It takes a little while to get use to it, but it's more comfturble then a regular mouse, and alot more acurate in fps. I have become much better at quake because of it. (that could also be because of the fact I've been playing it more;)
It's a bit expensive (circa 60-80 bucks in canuck land) but well worth the cost. If only my work would let me use it there...
no the spelling isn't off, it's your reading
metalgeek
metalgeek
windows, just another pane in the glass
the scroll-wheel thingy was not MS's idea. If i recall, "mouse systems" or some other company had a scrolling wheel on one of their mice at least a year or two before MS. Just to set the record straight, of course.
When I hold my logitech mouse I don't normally use my middle finger to scroll. You just leave your fingers in the regular mouse position and use the pointer finger to scroll. Why would you need to use your middle finger, when your scrolling you can't click on a link that easily with the pointer while it's moving by.
I've got an MS Itellimouse, and it works fine with Caldera linux. It dosent really hurt my hand, and, ... um... stuff like that.
The old Logitech Mouseman Cordless (shaped like an inverted, rounded triangle). They stopped making them some years ago (replaced them with those supposedly ergonomic slanted lumps) and I've had no luck finding them on the used equipment market, which suggests that noone is willing to part with them (I sure wouldn't). It fits the hand very nicely and has good 'button feel'.
The cordless business is achieved via radio, not infra-red like many of the cordless devices these days. The only problem I've had is when the batteries get low, which happens about once a year under heavy use, then it starts dropping mouse clicks and forgetting that you're holding down the mouse button in the middle of drags. Otherwise, it's a solid beastie.
Three buttons, no cord, with versions for both PC's and Macs (and LinuxPPC recognizes the Mac version and uses all three buttons).
> But holding the mouse in a natural grip while using the middle finger to scroll is quite uncomfortable
That's because you're trying to run it in X; the Logitech mouse was designed for Windows, whose users are used to using their middle fingers when dealing their computers. :-)
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
I love the IBM ScrollPoint mouse which has the scrollpoint thingie from their Thinkpads in the middle of the mouse buttons. It was recommended by a friend who specializes in human computer interface research. You can move in any direction from anywhere in the document, no need to go over to the right or bottom to use the scroll bars. It also has zoom, datazoom, autoscroll and hyperjump in Office documents but I haven't used those functions as yet. It only comes with Windows drivers so it may not be too useful for other OS.
About a year ago I bought a Logitech Pilot Wheel /FirstMouse+ (in the US) OEM mouse, Model M-S48 and though the wheel didn't work under XFree (is this fixed now?), I used it alot under Windooze.
After a few days, my wrist started to hurt really badly and I found out that I bent it to an odd angle when I was using that mouse. So I went to my local computer shop and tried out all the wheel mice they've had. The Logitech MouseMan Wheel suited me best so I bought it and I'm very happy with it since then. My wrist pain was gone in no time too. And the best thing is, that it works with XFree.
Nowadays I really miss the wheel, when I use other peoples computers and I find myself rubbing the middle mouse button every time I want to scroll a window.
On a related note, does VMWARE support wheel mice?
I tried nipple but no luck. I'd say you can buy this retail somewhere just to lazy to check for you :)
Any suggestions?
neophase
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neophase
It's the Logitech MouseMan Wheel, it's ergo, has 4 buttons and a scroll wheel. ;)
It has a wire, but if you're annoyed by them, just think of what you'll do to the enviroment when you use the Cordless version (all those batteries
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome."
you could try http://www.pckeyboard.com
I think they have what you mean
Adesso makes ergonomical keyboards that have either the pointer or touchpad built into the keyboard. I have a NuForm with the pointer. I use it occasionally but my primary pointer is my Logitech MouseMan+. The keyboard pointers only have 2 buttons so it makes it a little difficult in X.
-- I can't say enough in 120 chars!
Harlan has some very good mice. Check out their ICR mice, they're comfortable, soft on the hands, and very affordable. They even have bulk rate discounts.
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Open mind, insert foot.
It's not cordless, but Logitech has released the "Wingman Gaming Mouse", which is basically the same mouse as what you're talking about (as well as the original MouseMan, and the Logitech Sensa) with a USB or PS/2 connector...the same wonderful 3-button, triangular shape. I find these to be the most comfortable mice for extended mousing that I know of.
I haven't actually found any advantage of it being a "gaming" mouse, but it works great for netscape and switching xterms.
When using a wheel mouse, I don't roll the wheel with my fingertip, I roll it under my finger. This doesn't work unless the wheel is fairly big (a la Logitech MouseMan+).
I really like my Logitech Marbles, by the way... The MouseMan/MouseMan+ mice are nice enough, unless you want to use the thumb button. That button's a real strain for me for some reason.
best mouse i've ever used: kensington wheel mouse $19.99 from bestbuy. wheel is a little loose, but hey, it's 20 bucks. feels good and is ambidextrious (did i spell that right? no time to check) took me about 10 minutes to get used to the feel of it. I play unreal with it and have no problems, wheel is a must have for that type game. those of you who have complained about using the middle finger on the wheel, why not use your index finger for both left click and wheel, your not going to do both at the same time and it feels much, much more natural, i never considered using the middle finger on the wheel until i read the complaints here, why would you do that?
you're all figments of my deranged imagination
Now, _that's_ funny.
I think IBM makes one ... it's called the TrackPoint keyboard. It's a little pricey - $165. http://commerce.www.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/Sale sNav?partnum=01K1260&cntry=840&lang=en_U S
"A gun is a tool, Marian. No better, no worse than any other tool. An axe, a shovel, or anything." Shane (1953)
Most of my PCs use Logitech TrackMan Marbles or Marble+ trackballs. They're simply the best pointing device I've used. But, I'm not a mousing person, so I have a tough time choking down the $50 or so a Marble+ costs. That's why I've bought a number of them from auction sites like onsale.com. Most of the ones I've bought came from computergeeks.com (but were sold from an auction site). If you like the mouse but balk at the price, well, I haven't paid more than $25 including shipping for one yet.
I use my "main" PC about 14 hours a day without
any wrist problems, and the placement of the buttons on the Trackman Marble seems to be comfortable for lots of different people with different sized parts. A half-dozen friends of mine have picked one up after using mine.
The only complaint I have about the Marble is that it's a pain in the butt to clean, and it needs to be cleaned fairly often. Other than that, I hope I never see another mouse again.
Some other pointing devices I've liked: the original Microsoft Ballpoint trackball. They're tiny. They don't ever seem to break, and I don't find them uncomfortable to use. Down side: no third button (why I got my first Marble), and the mouse cord is coiled, which is sort of a pain.
Honeywell Footed Mouse: Um, Microsoft wasn't the first company to produce an all-surface mouse. Honeywell's design has two plastic nubs on the bottom surface - I've got one that I run on shaggy carpet. They also have user-replacable button arrangements, including a lefty-mode and a three-button set. Down side: They're hard to find (I think Keytronic now makes these) and they aren't terribly ergonomic. I wish someone would update this one.
Logitech First Mouse: A low-cost mouse that most people seem pretty comfortable with.
I recommend trackballs to people whenever possible. There are lots of good reasons for this, but the big one for me is that there's lots less wrist/arm/hand movement going on in using a trackball than a mouse. Also, there's no need to clear desk space for rolling. =)
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
Thank you all for the advice and links!
Wow, $165 for a keyboard. That is pretty amazing. Though it does come in "stealth black". Ooooweee.
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i Recently purchased a laptop, and while some people hate the trackpad, i enjoy using it very much. while windows will not allow you to do this, some aftermarket drivers will allow you to use the right (left for left handers) side of the trackpad as a scrollbar. some of these also have a lotta buttons, if you need to use something like that.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/boomslang1000p review/
I'm a sucker for the ole' "increase your quake skillz", but how is this mouse ergonomically speaking? Anybody used it?
...at least when I was in school we used pencils and pens... admitting my ignorance I assume no-one is born with a mouse (not the pet anyway) in his hand and surely everyone still (!!!) remembers how to use a pen... As far as I know there are hundreds of pointing devices out there and (correct me please) there seem to be pen pads that work fine with X, so why not use a pen???
Oh, sure... you can't play Quake... oh well... 8-)
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From reading the posts, looks like the following features are the ones people like best:
1. Optical
2. Wireless, based on radio
3. Have IBM's trackball in the middle finger position (that will be real nice indeed)
4. Have Microsoft's scrollie in thumb position
I'll definitely buy a mouse with features like this.
Any taker(s)?
I have had GREAT cheap mice. But have resciently ran in a cheap mouse, mouse problem. The other day I had a mouse die on me (Rolled it's last mile) and replaced it with a fairly cheap CompUSA mouse (No scroll button, but had a third button in the thunb position). When I got this mouse home and hooked it up, I found that this mouse was truely cheap. In fact, it was probably constructed cheaper than the $3 mouse in a box mouse.. Ya, it worked fine.. At least it did till somone came and touched you. The small shack created when somone touched the person using the mouse (You didn't even need to feel the shock) would cause the mouse to freeze. Leaving no option but to re boot the computer. This happened about 6 times in the first hour that I used the mouse, and has stedily gotten better (For some reason) to the point where it doean't happen any more (I should have just taken the mouse back). It also seems to "stick" a lot more often than my other mice have. The 3rd day the mouse was allready sticking when moving to the left. VERY annoying!
For these reasons I STRONGLY recomend NOT going the cheap route on mice. Spacifically CompUSA mice. I hope this little story saves somone the problems a cheap mouse caused me (Basically just a pain in the butt). If you want my advice on THE BEST mouse, go for a cordless, optical mouse. Personally, I would LOVE to have one of these. Guess I should stop readin Slashdot and get a job..
"I couldn't give him (Bill Gates) advice in business and he couldn't give me advice in technology." Linus Torvalds
Well, to be honest with you, it sounds a bit goofy, but CompUSA has a really cheap one. It's actually house brand, "CompPC" It's a 3-button mouse with an 8-way scroll stick on the left side for your thumb, it's only like $12 too. I just know cuz I used to have one before I got my Logitech Cordless Desktop.
To name a mouse from the keyboard side, has anyone used the Twiddler, at http://www.handykey.com/?
I drooled over the web pages a while back when I was thinking about getting an exercise bike (spot the geek!), but since I'm using a lot of different platforms right now, and don't have time to exercise, I'm trying to be patient until I don't have to build cables for some of them. The idea of having an inertial mouse sounds great, though I doubt it has the built in scroll function a la the wheel mouse (strangely addictive, that little wheel).
Basically, if you're holding the twiddler in your hand and point your index finger at the screen, the mouse pointer should follow what you point at. You don't have to do this; you can also just let your hand hang at your side and handle the directions relatively without pointing. What I don't know yet is if it's decent for people with small hands, if it fits my work patterns, etc.
Since I find that switching often between mouse and keyboard leads to aching wrists and a certain irritation factor from the context-switching, this sounds like about the perfect product once I either get more time to play or it becomes more commoditized.
Does anyone know of any other chord keyboard/mouse combos like this?