[9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Rodrigo Miranda]

Hi there,

I got tired of getting my mouse to be a good citizen when using Acme
(both Plan 9 and ACME-SAC on OS X), it is not really working. The
problem is that its mouse wheel is a pain to use as a button, and this
makes chording and middle-button use very annoying.

So I would like to get me a new mouse, and I would like your advice:

- It has to work on Mac OS X
- It has to be optical (preferrably laser) based tracking
- It has to have a USB or (preferrably) radio interface (bluetooth
would be great).
- It has to be a useable scrolling wheel
- All buttons must be clicked confortably (if the wheel is one of the
buttons it would be nice for it not to scroll when one is trying to
click).

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Rodrigo

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Paul Lalonde]

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I really like Dell's base model optical mouse.  Big scroll wheel
that's stiff enough not to roll when I middle-click.
I ordered an extra 5 a couple of years ago when work got me a system
through them; it's almost time to order 5 more.

Paul

On 28-Feb-08, at 3:48 AM, Rodrigo Miranda wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I got tired of getting my mouse to be a good citizen when using Acme
> (both Plan 9 and ACME-SAC on OS X), it is not really working. The
> problem is that its mouse wheel is a pain to use as a button, and this
> makes chording and middle-button use very annoying.
>
> So I would like to get me a new mouse, and I would like your advice:
>
> - It has to work on Mac OS X
> - It has to be optical (preferrably laser) based tracking
> - It has to have a USB or (preferrably) radio interface (bluetooth
> would be great).
> - It has to be a useable scrolling wheel
> - All buttons must be clicked confortably (if the wheel is one of the
> buttons it would be nice for it not to scroll when one is trying to
> click).
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks
>
> Rodrigo

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Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[andrey mirtchovski]

standard suggestion is the ibm scrollpoint. three buttons and a more
ergonomic scrolling interface than the wheel:

http://web.mit.edu/atic/www/images/mice/ibm.jpg

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[plan9]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 08:26:21AM -0700, andrey mirtchovski wrote:
> standard suggestion is the ibm scrollpoint. three buttons and a more
> ergonomic scrolling interface than the wheel:
>
> http://web.mit.edu/atic/www/images/mice/ibm.jpg

I have a couple of those, but found I didn't like the scroll knob.
Under Linux (sorry) at least, it was way too sensitive.  I couldn't
press and release it fast enough to scroll, say, 3-4 lines.  Whatever
I was looking at would go wooshing around the window, and then I'd
have to track it back down.

I spent a bit of time trying to find a way to slow it down, but gave
up.  Went back to my good old Logitech S35 3-button.  Sorry, no lasers,
no LEDs even.  (Optical mice are for people who don't wash their hands.)

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[andrey mirtchovski]

the original poster asked about OSX and Plan 9, on which the
scrollpoint works quite fine: i've been using one for close to 6 years
now.

>  I have a couple of those, but found I didn't like the scroll knob.
>  Under Linux (sorry) at least, it was way too sensitive.  I couldn't
>  press and release it fast enough to scroll, say, 3-4 lines.  Whatever

yes, it's crap under Linux, but what isn't? ;) there is a solution for
that, but as one would expect, it requires patching the kernel and
recompiling it.

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Axel Belinfante]

> the original poster asked about OSX and Plan 9, on which the
> scrollpoint works quite fine: i've been using one for close to 6 years
> now.
>
> >  I have a couple of those, but found I didn't like the scroll knob.
> >  Under Linux (sorry) at least, it was way too sensitive.  I couldn't
> >  press and release it fast enough to scroll, say, 3-4 lines.  Whatever
>
> yes, it's crap under Linux, but what isn't? ;) there is a solution for
> that, but as one would expect, it requires patching the kernel and
> recompiling it.

However, under linux the horizontal scrolling does work as expected/
intended, even without patching/recompiling, which is more than can
be said about certain other systems...

on OSX interestingly enough some System Preferences settings
that are relevant for this mouse are not visible unless
eg a mighty mouse is attached.


Axel - Mighty cat walks around at home,
	   mighty mouse is boxed unless I have to change settings...

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[plan9]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 09:26:39AM -0700, andrey mirtchovski wrote:
> the original poster asked about OSX and Plan 9, on which the
> scrollpoint works quite fine: i've been using one for close to 6 years
> now.

Groovy, I was hoping someone would say it worked fine with Plan 9.
Just thought I'd point out a possible problem before someone went to
the trouble of ordering one.

>>  I have a couple of those, but found I didn't like the scroll knob.
>>  Under Linux (sorry) at least, it was way too sensitive.  I couldn't
>>  press and release it fast enough to scroll, say, 3-4 lines.  Whatever
>
> yes, it's crap under Linux, but what isn't? ;) there is a solution for
> that, but as one would expect, it requires patching the kernel and
> recompiling it.

Obviously, I gave up before I found that solution.  At any rate, I had
decided that I preferred scrolling in the discrete steps a mouse wheel
provides vs. trying to gauge how much force to apply to my middle finger
to move the window the desired amount.  (I expect my middle finger would
be in better shape if I drove more instead of taking the bus.)

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[andrey mirtchovski]

>  At any rate, I had
>  decided that I preferred scrolling in the discrete steps a mouse wheel
>  provides vs. trying to gauge how much force to apply to my middle finger
>  to move the window the desired amount.

thanks to russ and rob, plan 9 has a really good solution for that
too: $mousescrollsize (see
http://9fans.net/archive/2004/10/250 )

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <14ec7b180802280826j371310f9je0916fa87629919@mail.gmail.com>,
	mirtchovski@gmail.com (andrey mirtchovski) writes:
> the original poster asked about OSX and Plan 9, on which the
> scrollpoint works quite fine: i've been using one for close to 6 years
> now.
>
>>  I have a couple of those, but found I didn't like the scroll knob.
>>  Under Linux (sorry) at least, it was way too sensitive.  I couldn't
>>  press and release it fast enough to scroll, say, 3-4 lines.  Whatever
>
> yes, it's crap under Linux, but what isn't? ;) there is a solution for
> that, but as one would expect, it requires patching the kernel and
> recompiling it.

It does?  I thought the solution was to stop using Linux.

Friends don't let friends drive Linux.

bill

--
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999@cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Charles Forsyth]

> I ordered an extra 5 a couple of years ago when work got me a system
> through them; it's almost time to order 5 more.

do the cats get them?

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[erik quanstrom]

> > I ordered an extra 5 a couple of years ago when work got me a system
> > through them; it's almost time to order 5 more.
>
> do the cats get them?
>

my rabbit got two last month.  it's those t-t-teeth.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Paul Lalonde]

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Airports.  Remote offices.  The gap between the wall and the desk.
Hotel rooms.

I'm glad the mice are the only thing I seem to lose this way.

Paul

On 28-Feb-08, at 7:27 AM, Charles Forsyth wrote:

>> I ordered an extra 5 a couple of years ago when work got me a system
>> through them; it's almost time to order 5 more.
>
> do the cats get them?
>

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Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Noah Diewald]

How does the optical sun type 7 mouse fit these requirements? I can't
tell from the pictures whether the third mouse button is separate from
the wheel or not. The description is 3 buttons "with" scroll wheel.
That sounds like there are three real buttons but the pictures I've
seen look like it is actually 2 buttons plus a middle wheel, like most
mice.

On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 5:48 AM, Rodrigo Miranda
<rodrigo.c.miranda@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi there,
>
>  I got tired of getting my mouse to be a good citizen when using Acme
>  (both Plan 9 and ACME-SAC on OS X), it is not really working. The
>  problem is that its mouse wheel is a pain to use as a button, and this
>  makes chording and middle-button use very annoying.
>
>  So I would like to get me a new mouse, and I would like your advice:
>
>  - It has to work on Mac OS X
>  - It has to be optical (preferrably laser) based tracking
>  - It has to have a USB or (preferrably) radio interface (bluetooth
>  would be great).
>  - It has to be a useable scrolling wheel
>  - All buttons must be clicked confortably (if the wheel is one of the
>  buttons it would be nice for it not to scroll when one is trying to
>  click).
>
>  Any suggestions?
>
>  Thanks
>
>  Rodrigo
>

[9fans] Re: Mouse advice for Acme

[TheAbysmal]

On Feb 28, 6:50 am, rodrigo.c.mira...@gmail.com (Rodrigo Miranda)
wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I got tired of getting mymouseto be a good citizen when using Acme
> (both Plan 9 and ACME-SAC on OS X), it is not really working. The
> problem is that itsmousewheel is a pain to use as a button, and this
> makes chording and middle-button use very annoying.
>
> So I would like to get me a newmouse, and I would like your advice:
>
> - It has to work on Mac OS X
> - It has to be optical (preferrably laser) based tracking
> - It has to have a USB or (preferrably) radio interface (bluetooth
> would be great).
> - It has to be a useable scrolling wheel
> - All buttons must be clicked confortably (if the wheel is one of the
> buttons it would be nice for it not to scroll when one is trying to
> click).
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks
>
> Rodrigo

I think I may have found the next best thing since the ScrollPoint:
http://www.askergoworks.com/products/1519/Evoluent-VerticalMouse---Silver-Black.aspx

Three... no, five buttons actually, plus the wheel.  Mac compatible.
Ergonomic.

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Russ Cox]

>  I think I may have found the next best thing since the ScrollPoint:
>  http://www.askergoworks.com/products/1519/Evoluent-VerticalMouse---Silver-Black.aspx
>
>  Three... no, five buttons actually, plus the wheel.  Mac compatible.
>  Ergonomic.

Did you buy one?  Is that picture showing the left-handed
or right-handed version of the mouse?  I'm skeptical of
the "turned sideways" idea -- if the picture shows the
right-handed version, it looks like you'd have to put the
mouse about 2 feet from the keyboard in order to not
contort your wrist to use it.  Maybe it's the left-handed
version, but it would be odd to picture the less popular model.

Russ

Re: [9fans] Mouse advice for Acme

[Axel Belinfante]

> >  I think I may have found the next best thing since the ScrollPoint:
> >  http://www.askergoworks.com/products/1519/Evoluent-VerticalMouse---Silver-Black.aspx
> >
> >  Three... no, five buttons actually, plus the wheel.  Mac compatible.
> >  Ergonomic.
>
> Did you buy one?  Is that picture showing the left-handed
> or right-handed version of the mouse?  I'm skeptical of
> the "turned sideways" idea -- if the picture shows the
> right-handed version, it looks like you'd have to put the
> mouse about 2 feet from the keyboard in order to not
> contort your wrist to use it.  Maybe it's the left-handed
> version, but it would be odd to picture the less popular model.

I think it shows the right-handed version, as illustrated
by the other picture:
http://www.askergoworks.com/Images/Products/1519/1519_550_L.jpg

I guess the idea is that you hold it somewhat like a joystick.

http://www.askergoworks.com/Images/Products/1519/1519_842_L.jpg

I'd say that ScrollPoint or wheel vs. horizontal or vertical
holding ought to be orthogonal features.

Axel.