Mouse or Trackball?

Do you guys use a mouse? Trackball? Trackpad? Something else?
Or perhaps you don't have a preference at all?

I'm currently using a mouse, but I actually don't have much of a preference one way or the other.

Mac trackpad - love it - so many gestures you can configure.

I used trackball for a couple years about ten years ago. It helped me focus on typing most of the time, and I tried not to mouse around too much as that was usually less productive for a programmer on a Unix system to be mousing while writing video games for embedded systems.

These days here is my mouse preference list:

#1 G5, #2 G500

#3 Razer Deathadder

#4 Logitech trackpad

#5 Apple trackpad on MacBook Pro Retina


1000Hz input is a big part of what makes #1, #2, and #3 as good as they are. I program games and do the low-level code to make the most of these mice, and it absolutely makes them more effective, especially in games that run at higher rates than the visuals.

Thats an excellant question.

I've used all three since 1997.
The MS Tracball was by far the best, but needed software to operate.



Mice are very good, and can be configured any way you like if you load the software. But w/o SW they
can be v.good. Cheap Logitech's rule.

Tracpads need one to learn a new input language with gesturing. I have an original ASUS EEE linux thats not too bad.
Netbooks and lappys seem to get this, my original ('08) netbook does NOT have a side-scroll... Hmmm, back to mice :P

I've not hat the pleasure of an IBM nipple, I heard they worked very well, but wondered if tapping them was like a click/dbl-click.
(Who said computing isn't exciting... look at that firm red nipple on the IBM's ! )

If you're talking about a full-size trackball (IE the ball is about 1.5" diameter), then the choice between that and mouse is, without question, trackball. It solves the problem of running out of desk space.

I even prefer trackball over trackpad. I don't use gestures much, so I wouldn't miss it if that were the case.

However, built-in trackballs tend to be small, about 5/8" diameter variety. Those suck.

The only thing that sucks more than those is the small nub that looked like an eraser stuck in the middle of a keyboard.


So my preference is:

Trackball
Trackpad
Mouse
Track-marble
Eraser nub

I use a mouse.

What I don't understand is the appeal of cordless mice. I had one for only a year, (it came with the new computer) and I probably replaced the battery 4 times. What a pointless waste of time.

Is the cord that much of a nuisance? It's one of those needless inventions that seeks to solve an urgent problem that doesn't exist. I've never been sitting at my computer muttering to myself, "This goddamned cord is in the way!"

Quote: DJTeddyBear

However, built-in trackballs tend to be small, about 5/8" diameter variety. Those suck.

Oh, I despise those. In fact, I've never known a single person who doesn't!

I prefer the classic, wired, ball mice with nothing more than a left button, right button, and wheel/button, like this one:



I used a Microsoft mouse like that for many years and I still consider it the ultimate mouse, especially when used on a high-quality mouse pad (the thick rubber ones with a cloth top, not those cheap thin ones with a hard plastic coating on top). I used to program the wheel button to be a double-click, which saved wear and tear on the left button and increased the overall life of the mouse.

I don't like optical mice so much because they don't work well on clean, consistent-looking surfaces. They get confused very easily and when they do it causes your pointer to teleport to a random location, which is very aggravating when you're trying to do pixel-precise work.

There was also something satisfying about removing the ball and cleaning the lint or dust that would accumulate inside.

Quote: JB

I prefer the classic, wired, ball mice with nothing more than a left button, right button, and wheel/button, like this one:

I used a Microsoft mouse like that for many years and I still consider it the ultimate mouse, especially when used on a high-quality mouse pad (the thick rubber ones with a cloth top, not those cheap thin ones with a hard plastic coating on top). I used to program the wheel button to be a double-click, which saved wear and tear on the left button and increased the overall life of the mouse.

I don't like optical mice so much because they don't work well on clean, consistent-looking surfaces. They get confused very easily and when they do it causes your pointer to teleport to a random location, which is very aggravating when you're trying to do pixel-precise work.

There was also something satisfying about removing the ball and cleaning the lint or dust that would accumulate inside.

+1. I remember in 1989, there was an eager guy who was our Quality Assurance Training Specialist, and he'd just unpacked a new computer and one of those came with it - a single button mouse. It was sooooo strange that he was giving desk tours for people to come look. We had pem's in the radar room, little tiny joystick-and-button things we could tag an airplane with, and were just transitioning to trackballs that we loved; they were the size of a baseball. It took me years to realize a manual mouse was an upside-down pem/trackball. And I too got a huge amount of satisfaction out of scraping the goo off the rubber and the rollers as well. "I r compooter technician now!" :D at myself

LMFAO. +1 babs

Ebay might still have a few of those big balls lying around somewhere. Kensington?

Quote: 98Clubs

LMFAO. +1 babs

Ebay might still have a few of those big balls lying around somewhere. Kensington?

Who has big balls lying around somewhere?

I used a Kensington before. The biggest ball I ever groped!

Mouse with an attached wire. I once was using a laptop on a plane with a wireless mouse, flight attendant said wireless mouse not allowed. I used it on plenty of flights before but I switched to a wired mouse eventually for my following flights.