What is your mouse of choice?

[wood_e]

I've been using traditional mice for nearly 15 of my 23 years on earth. A few days ago I said why not try something new. $14 later and I have a nice Logitech Marble mouse. Now I wonder - Was I wrong?

The software is pretty nice and I don't miss the scroll. It has 2 extra buttons that scroll for you.

So I ask all of you - which do you prefer? Traditional mice of trackball?

 

[vassilizaitsev]

The Armargh Planetarium had a fleet of Amiga's..... this was back in the mid/early 90's, they had lovely trackballs which suited a hands on scientific display.....

Would I use trackball for every day? I'm not sure.

 

[Dan 7.1]

I used traditional mice ever since the original ADBI mouse on my IIgs, and it stayed pretty constant until around the time i got my rev-b imac, where i switched to a kensington Orbit for awhile. i dunno, i liked it and all but in the end i switched back to a logitech MouseMan Wheel USB and then finally to a Logitech MX518 which i absolutely love. a high-res mouse just beats the pants off of a regular mouse on irregularly patterned surfaces. For my MBP i use a logitech V270, which works well enough.

 

[4seasonphoto]

I use a wireless Mighty Mouse at home, and the original at the office, so I guess you could say I use BOTH a trackball and a mouse!

 

[Cory5412]

Another interesting pointing device I've been using lately is the IBM TrackPoint on my ThinkPad's keyboard. I have even considered getting one of the desktop ThinkPad keyboards for my iMac, it's really efficient.

But in general, I really like my traditional mice, specifically most of those from Logitech and Microsoft, plus a few of the mice that have Dell's name on them. I haven't used a trackball in quite awhile, but the next time I'm in dire need of a mouse, I might try that route, especially if they don't cost too much. I've heard that they're great, ergonomically, since you spend less time reaching around with the desk moving the mouse around.

(off topic from here on out)

Another form of input I'd eventually like to invest in is a tablet. They're coming down in price slowly but surely, and it would make a great and accurate input device for using brushes in photoshop. I've used handwriting recognition in Mac OS X (10.4, 10.5) and Windows (Vista) and while I like the idea of natural input, and indeed, non-keyboard input, I don't think it'll ever actually work out for me.

 

[coius]

I would like to suggest that TrackPad. that is actually my FAVORITE input device. Many people may not like it, but I prefer that over a desktop mouse ANY DAY. So, i vote for the trackpad

 

[Bunsen]

I'm a big trackball fan. My Kensington Turbo Mouse has a ball the size of a billiard ball, and four programmable buttons. It seems a lot easier on the forearms than a mouse.

 

[wood_e]

If i wasn't so cheap I would've bought a Turbo. I figured though for $14 I'm not out much if I don't like it. I have noticed a bit of pain in my wrist is gone.

 

[equill]

Those of us who have a variety of Macs are likely to have trackballs (PB 100 family), trackpads (PB 500 family and later) and mouses from clunky M0100 to Optical Pro of one kind or another. I don't find any of them difficult to manipulate within a pixel or two. Although my billiard-ball size (to steal Bunsen's reference) Precision Instruments ADB trackball at sl-o-o-ow tracking speeds is capable of even finer discrimination, I don't need it often. When a soundwave can be expanded to 2,000,000%, as I can do in Spark, the old optical mouse is plenty precise enough for redrawing waveforms.

One 'mouse' characteristic that I am not enamoured of is supersensitive trackpads that 'sense' a finger that is not in contact with the pad, and interpret that as a selection. It leads to some disconcerting selections on a G3/600 iBook known to me. And I hasten to add that this is not for lack of twiddling with the trackpad's control panel.

de

 

[chris]

I personally like traditional mice usually, since I play a few computer games, but other than that, my input device of choice is the pressure-sensitive pen tablet, since it's precise and it gives me writing practice.

 

[bluekatt]

normal mouse

tough i amnot all that happy with my mighty mouse i keep hitting the second mouse button and i think i demolished my scroll ball

 

[~tl]

I'm a normal mouse man as well. I've considered trying trackballs in the past, but have never really had the motivation to go out and get one!

My current mouse of choice is one of these:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/130

 

[Christopher]

Traditional mouse for me. Tried trackballs and just realized my wrist cramps more.

 

[quinterro]

At work I use a Logitech Trackman Marble and can't stand to use a mouse for 8+ hours at a time - my wrist starts to ache when I do.

At home I use a generic optical mouse.

On the ThinkPad I use the trackpad.

 

[aphetica]

optical logitech LX3 usb with the sensitivity and tracking speed turned all the way up. A one inch movement covers my entire 22" screen.

I've always disliked mice with balls in them.

Um. yea.

 

[QuadSix50]

While I prefer the traditional mouse, but I actually like both. I had an old PS/2 Logitech trackball (light blue ball with beige base) that had 3 buttons. Worked nicely under GNU/Linux, but since it was quite old it was losing it's functionality with the rollers for the ball.

 

[Dan 7.1]

I'm a normal mouse man as well. I've considered trying trackballs in the past, but have never really had the motivation to go out and get one!
My current mouse of choice is one of these:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/130

how are those to use? its one of the ones with the weighted scroll wheel, yeah? i've seen them on displays around various stores but i didn't really see much of a difference between them and more typical mice. Logitech made a big deal about those when they were released.

 

[John8520]

I, too, am quite a fan of trackpoints on thinkpads. I used to be weary of them but compared to a trackpad it's just so much easier to use, takes less strain too.

Of the choices, I prefer normal mice. I have a nice MS Optical, in the style of the original white one, but black; it matches my thinkpad perfectly. It's also very nicely weighted, unlike my other new-style MS Optical mice which are much too light.

 

[kissmyash933]

TrackBall all the way, I have been using one since the Original Logitech TrackMan (PS/2) and recently Upgraded to the newer Trackman Wheel that's grey, They are great mice. Since i have more than one (sometimes more than two) computers on my desk, it's great for space since i don't have to move it around, and it's much more comfortable.

On the down side, They are rather expensive, I paid about 40 USD for mine, which IMO is a little more than the run of the mill mice out there that are just as good.

Blake.