
Mouse or Trackball? 627
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?"
Trackball (Score:5, Informative)
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
Avoid wrist movements (Score:5, Informative)
Trackball or Spaceball? (Score:3, Informative)
For a really big trackball... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Excercise (Score:4, Informative)
I like trackballs too. It's a mystery to me as well why they're not more widely available.
Re:Logitech's Marble F/X (Score:5, Informative)
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!
MS can do something right (Score:3, Informative)
Trackballs in MN (Score:1, Informative)
I know we have the Logitech and Microsoft ones but I think we might have a couple of the Kennsington ones, too. I'd say we have about in between 7-10 different models.
http://www.generalnanosystems.com/ [generalnanosystems.com]
Re:For a really big trackball... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Trackball (Score:5, Informative)
There are good points and bad points.
Good:
It has always been as accurate as the best mouse, even before mice went optical.
The cord never ever gets in the way of your movement, because it doesn't move.
Doesn't require desk space. My screen is flush with my desk, my keyboard sitting snugly on an open desk drawer.
Bad:
You can't hope to achieve smooth 360+ degree rotation on an fps. You have to move your thumb at some point.
But the main advantage, and the reason why I will never go back to using a normal mouse is that I can place a trackball anywhere. Before I started this note I was reclined all the way back in my chair with my trackball on my chest navigating slashdot in complete comfort. I tend to use it on my knee alot too.
Also another advantage is no one wants to use it. So no one is using my damned computer when I'm not around. Also the ball is perfect for flinging at your coworker.
Re:optical mice have their own issues. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Outta my yard (Score:4, Informative)
There were very few mouse pads that were actually good for your mouse, and often times you were better off using a flat, smooth, clean surface of your desk.
I think it was 3M that made a mouse pad that was paper thin, had one of those "tacky but not sticky" backs and a very finely textured surface that was perfect for use with a traditional "ball mouse" and the printed pattern even made it suitable for use with an optical mouse... too bad they didn't catch on with more people...
Re:Trackball (Score:3, Informative)
Now I'm using a Logitech Cordless TrackMan Optical [logitech.com], and I've been happy with it. I got used to it in a matter of days at most, and I can do more precise work with it.
To a mouse I'm not going back. I don't do graphics design.
Re:Trackball (Score:2, Informative)
It was nice when I used it, but now, I have to use a normal mouse for my hands.
Re:Excercise (Score:3, Informative)
Mod parent up! Curls, tricep extensions, and especially wrist curls completely eliminate my wrist and elbow pain. I'm sure everything else helps, but arm exercises undo the damage I do my joints each week.