The death of the Mouse...

[matgb]

No, I'm not talking about the rather sensible proposals to encourage easier keyboard shortcuts and improve the UI for common applications by dumping the mouse as the main tool for controlling them.

I'm talking about my mouse, the one I'm using on my PC right now. I've had it since I bought my first PC, in Titan with paulatpingu, back in 2002. Because the PC itself was reconditioned bargain basement (because Paul quite rightly wanted to be able to use his own PC more), I bought some more expensive peripherals to go with it. The printer was a mistake (I think I've printed 5 sheets total, maybe 10?) and the ink has dried out, but the mouse, with its programmable thumb buttons, drivers that aren't compatible with XP (in a BAD way-- that was my first Windows reinstall on this machine then) and ergonomic--fits nicely in my palm--sculpted shape goodness has been an absolute trooper and a great purchase.

But the left button is only working intermittently as of last night, it's a bit filth encrusted, I can't find a driver update for it so the thumb buttons don't work and, well, I need a new one. So, oh mighty LJ brain trust, what sort of pointing device do you use, what do you like/dislike about it, and what options should I look further into?

(and no, we don't have a peripherals manufacturer in our Preferred Vendors list at work, so I can't get anything cheap there...)

Comments

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Seriously? I'd never pay more than a fiver for a mouse.

* shrug *

But I'm from Yorksher, so make of that what you will.

[matgb]

This one was something like £20-£30 five years ago, and the extra functions it's got (were) great. I fancy something programmable that can do tricks and similar, more than just alt+tab and other basic regular uses.

It's either that or get summat cheap, which I'll do if nothing takes my fancy.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

See, I can understand programming a mouse to do difficult things easily... but alt+tab?

;)

If you want an expensive one with lots of bells and whistles, you go for it. I'm just thinking of frivolities like food and rent and travel and stuff, not IMPORTANT things.

[matgb]

Pah, I'm looking at a budget of no more than £30 unless it's really good.

And programmabel alt+tab is just a simple thing, very useful if I'm watching media or something and the keyboard is put away, I do actually miss it. Plus I managed to hack ctrl+tab for Fx as well, that was useful.

Queue someone popping up and telling me all about mouse gestures in 5.4.3.2...

A days pay max, to pay for something that'll save me a whole lot of time and make itself useful in many ways for ages, that's not a bad trade off. Besides, if I find something I like the look of, we might approach the manufacturer and tell them they should join our preferred vendor programme; samples are always good.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

You mean cue. And yeah, £30 isn't that much if it's going to last a long time... but if it breaks or something...?

Free is good, though, so the vendor thing might be a plan.

[matgb]

Yes, you're right, I did. And my brain stopped me from typing it and pushed me back to the right word but I overruled it. Silly me.

If it breaks, it breaks, much lesser risk than with a car or similar; some of the better options I've been pointed at are only £12-£15 as well, which is nice. We'll see, I'm not in a rush, it's not like I don't have spare mice anyway...

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Silly but adorable. Fancy a G&T?

[matgb]

Would love one, danke.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Ice? Slice of lime?

[matgb]

Hmm, yes, I think so.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

* passes you drink and goes to hide after hitting post on that entry *

[matgb]

Loon. Utter utter loon.

By the way, he who was daweaver of this parish has linked to you approvingly on his 'proper' blog. Right next to a link to a certain Nick Robinson, not of this parish:
http://www.daweaver.free-online.co.uk/2007/wk28.html#120707

Just thought you might like to know.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Thank you muchly, Mr GB.

For the compliment and the link ;)

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Oh, and if you're looking at branding, have another vote for Logitech. Mine might be a no frills logitech, but it's still lasted nearly ten years.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

As a long-standing Mac user, you may be a little surprised to learn I use a Billymouse; the Microsoft Optical Intellimouse to be precise, which despite my Mac advocacy knocks any pointing device from Cupertino into a cocked hat. M$ make terrible operating systems but there's nothing wrong with their input devices.

I do have a Kensington trackball lying around in one of my boxes full of old tosh, but I've never got the hang of trackballs.

[matgb]

I've actually heard good things about M$ mice generally, I've always, sort of, disbelieved them, because, well, M$.

And yeah, tried a trackball once, confused me completely. Even owrse than laptop touchpads or the weird rubber button thing that they use on thinkpads.

[susumu.livejournal.com]

The rumours are true about Intellimice. I bought mine when I got my first Mac in 2001 and it's still going strong. I'm on my third Mac....

[matgb]

Hmm, this bothers me, committed Mac users extolling M$ products is just weird. D'you think we should tell William?

It's looking like I'll have some choices, but intellimice and logitech both look good by specs.

[malkavelli.livejournal.com]

I'm not a mac user but I also have to chime in with loving M$ mouzez :-/

[silentgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

First non-free-with-compy mouse we bought was one of the first M$ Intellimouse ones.. lasted until... er.. about May this year. so it's been about seven years ish..
So yes.. intellimice are rather solid..
Sadly couldn't afford one when the old one died, but I will asap

[rho]

I have this little beauty from Logitech. Cordless, rechargeable, optical, two thumb buttons, fully programmable, and generally lovely.

[matgb]

Does indeed look rather nice, yes.

[paulatpingu.livejournal.com]

Nowt wrong with M$ hardware, never has been. It's the software that sucks...

But I always buy logitech mice (and keyboards for that matter) and have enver had any trouble whatsoever. My current model mouse is a wireless left-handed one, which is rather swish.

And don't be knocking the nub controls on a thinkpad - I use one day in day out at work and think it's wonderful :-)

[matgb]

TBH, it's sort of growing on me as a stop-gap, it's better than a touchpad, but I virtually always just plug in the mouse.

So that's three for M$ mice, including two Mac users, and two for Logitech. Hmm.

I guess I'll have to shop around a bit in town Saturday. I'm thinking wireless would be very useful, might combine it with a keyboard as well.

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

Another fan of MS mice here, although I prefer the no-frills Wheel Mouse Optical, which just has 2 buttons + scroll wheel / middle button. I can confirm that while the surface may wear smooth, they pretty much last forever.

Wireless mice can be handy. But I must caution that I've yet to have a good experience with a wireless keyboard - I definitely get a higher rate of typos. It's like the odd letter just takes slightly too long to arrive.

We have an MS wireless mouse in the conference room here which runs off batteries but oddly will run fine with just one of the two slots filled.

On my home PC I have a non-MS wireless mouse which is charged by a USB wire, and works non-wirelessly when plugged in. It is definitely a "best of both worlds" thing.

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

M$ Intellipoint optical trackball. Four buttons, a clicky scrollwheel and a nice smooth trackball, good ergonomics... so nice that in fact I have three of them at home and even use one on my Mac.

[matgb]

Trackballs bother me, I've never got on with them. If they work for you, great, but they always confused me, right back when it was joystick or trackball on the Speccy.

[doccy.livejournal.com]

I use an Advent ADE-LR1 mouse... But a lot of places seem to be sold out of them now, or not stocking them :/

It's a cordless mouse with a little recharging dock, two buttons, scrolly thing, 2-clicky thing on the thumb side (oooh, I'm so technical!), and it's a nice big mouse so it actually fits in my hand rather than giving me hand cramp from trying to use it ;)

[matgb]

Hmm, looks interesting. And not bad value compared to some of the other things I've been looking at.

and yeah, I know exactly what you mean, but if you'd use technical terms I'd have likely been lost. Sometimes at work I'm on the phone to a tech or installer and they start quoting specs, I get all confused and remind them I don't do sales...

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Since getting a laptop, I haven't felt compelled to get a mouse for it, I having found the touchpad to be pretty good. (Except for drawing - the mouse is slightly better there.)

But I don't believe for a word that going back to the keyboard to control a computer is a step forward! If that was better, the mouse would never have been invented. What such advocates forget is that while the majority of users are looking at the keyboard to decide which key to press, they're not looking at the screen!

The mouse (or touchpad) work because of the direct link between what's on the screen (the pointer) and what's under your hand. Keyboards are great for entering text, but they shouldn't be shoe-horned into doing nearly everything.

(None of which lets Microsoft off the hook for Windows' god-awful UI, which is the only reason people think going back to the keyboard would be better.)

[matgb]

Well, yes, the mouse is great for a lot of functions, and note the articles don't try to argue to abolish them, but do suggest better keyboard shortcuts would be useful.

I use keyboard shortcuts all the time, and find them very useful; I record macros for regular tasks at work and try to avoid the mouse when I can naturally, it's time consuming to take my fingers from the keyboard and go back to somewhere else.

And the things is I can nomrally press the right button without looking at the keyboard, or I can type without looking at the screen, nice and easy. I have many keyboard shortcuts memorised so well I rarely need to go to the mouse.

But at other times I put the keyboard away completely and control things with just the mouse. Depends entirely on what I'm doing. For example, I clicked reply using the mouse, but I can select my userpic and hit submit without going back to it, and it'll be slighty quicker as well, simply because I know where things are and shift+tab gets me to most places; although the LJ UI still has things in the wrong places at times...

[eldar.livejournal.com]

Micro$oft 5-button optical, with, yes, programmable thumb buttons. M$ actually do decent hardware. This mouse is no exception. I'd like a wireless version of it at some point, but no real reason whilst this one's still in fine working order.

[shaysdays.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it'll work, but I have the Apple mouse (comes with the iMac) and while I thought I'd hate it, I love it. The little tiny scroll button works a lot better than the big one I had before. And the 'sides' rather than buttons works nicely as well.

I'm not saying get an Apple mouse, those are just two features I thought I would hate that I actually like better than my original configuration.

I have tiny, tiny hands, though, so take that with a grain of tiny, tiny salt if you, like my husband, are blessed with bear paws.

[davegodfrey.livejournal.com]

I use a Logitech trackball, one of the ones where you use your thumb to control the cursor, rather than your middle finger, though I understand if you don't get on with them. However after about 3 years use the paint has rubbed, so I've had to respray it.

I also use a graphics tablet pen, mostly for Photoshop work, but these come in at about £60 for the cheap ones. I don't particularly like mice any more, but I do like the feel of the expensive ergonomic Logitechs with about a million buttons.