Mice

Tomkitten - Why did you go back to plain vanilla?

I have an optical mouse with a scroll wheel and five buttons. I love that I don't have to worry about dirt getting into the mouse, and that it will work on most surfaces. I realized though, that I seldom use the 4th and 5th button, even though I have them programmed. Old habits die hard!

Mice
Phoenix - I was having a lot of trouble with my cordless wheel mouse, and tried switching all my old mice around to see what worked best. I found that the old vanilla hp two-button mouse worked the most smoothly. It goes where I want it to go, whereas with the two Logitech mice the mouse would point one way, but the ball would somehow be working in a different direction. It seemed to me that there was a looseness and a lack of close control.

Also, I really haven't had any use for most of the frills, even the wheel. I guess my computer use is pretty much plain vanilla itself.

Phoenix, what can you program the buttons on your fancy mouse to do?

Mice
And what kind of mouse is it?

Microsoft Intellimouse Optical

I won't give you the whole enchilada, but here are some of the things that you can program the mouse to do:

Right and left buttons-click, right click, auto scroll. back, forward, keystroke, alt, backspace, click lock.

Wheel button- auto scroll, back, forward, key stroke, alt, backspace, click lock, close, copy.

Some of the same stuff is on the two side buttons.

If I gotta mouse... gimme a wheel.

Keyboard works just fine for me...

I don't know what I'd do without my scroll wheel -- especially for long threads! I was using a computer without a wheel a couple weeks ago, and found myself gently stroking the top of the mouse!

I got a new mouse last year because the ball on the bottom of my old one grew a mind of its own and I got fed up. The one I have now has no ball and has that wonderful scroll wheel. I'd be lost without my scroll wheel. I have thought of going cordless though, but now am having second thoughts.

I use a cordless rollerball with back/forward buttons wheels and whatnot.

Some things mice can't hack (graphics, FPS games), and require a rollerball.

I like my plain mouse, too. I have tried fancier meece at friends' places - haven't liked 'em...I guess I am a mouse Luddite, too.

Montana -- you clean de mouse insides once in awhile? A co-worker had that problem, turns out she didn't know they open up. I cleaned it out and found oh-god-i-don't-know-what in there... worked fine after.

Wy
I know. I use to clean mine all the time, but I just got tired of it acting up when I was in the middle of something. I didn't plan on getting another one until I saw the one I have at the mall and saw how cheap it was. I liked the idea that it didn't have a ball and had the scroll thingy.

Couldn't live without my wheel.

Office Max has a free one this week (after a rebate of course)... also a free keyboard and a bunch of other stuff.

Wish we had one of those here.

I'm with Phoenix - once a month I re-discover, how the 4th and 5th wheel have been programed :wink:

(I use a 'Medion' mouse, from the ALDI.)

My pointing device ever (despite the many laughs I got while using it - especially when playing counter-strike (until I wiped the floor with their bleeding carcasses, that is)) is a Logitech Trackman Marble FX. It is now available cordless, but that doesn't really matter.

It's just so precise and fast, and very ergonomical. That and the split Microsoft Natural keyboard has ensured that I have never suffered from any pain despite the many hours of computer use I put myself though each day.

Montana (et al.) -- they do online. I don't know how free things would be after shipping, but maybe there's a deal for that too...

for a few months i've now used a microsoft wireless optical mouse (tradename BLUE). i really like it; i always used to get the wires tangled up. i should have waited for the rechargeable. well, next time. hbg