Re: Requesting a trackball recomendation
Lo, on Sunday, December 9, omphe did write:
> EmmetHayes@cs.com wrote:
> >
> > > Can anyone recomment a three button trackball with a ps2 connector
> > > that is supported by linus? (Preferably an optical trackball)
Sorry for the nested attributions; missed the original post.
A few months ago, I started using the Mouse-Trak Evolution, by ITAC
(http://www.itacsystems.com/) at work. I've been very pleased---enough
so that I'm probably going to buy a second one fairly shortly for use at
home, even though they run about $100 a pop.
The good points:
* The ball is quite large and easily moved
* It's under the fingers, not the thumb. This is a bonus because your
fingers are more dextrous, and in my personal situation, my thumb
joint gives me a lot more trouble than my wrist.
* Buttons conveniently placed under the fingers.
* Six buttons, easily programmable. I have mine set (in X terms) to
button 1, button 2, button 3, double-click button 1, button 1 drag
mode, and turbo toggle.
`Button 1 drag mode' means I can drag with button 1 held down without
actually holding the button: click the toggle, move the pointer with
the ball, and click the toggle again to stop dragging.
The turbo toggle toggles the trackball into a low-acceleration mode
for precision work.
* All of the button programming and special features are implemented IN
HARDWARE by the trackball itself. Therefore, this works with the
standard XFree86 PS/2 mouse driver.
* They've got PS/2 and USB versions.
* The ball doesn't come out, but it's still easily cleaned.
* Steel ball-bearings inside the ball housing, not the cheap plastic
crud you get in most mice & trackballs.
Bad points:
* Not cheap: $99 plus tax.
* The steel ball-bearings are somewhat noisy, but you get used to it.
* This is made for fairly large hands---mine are about 8.5 inches from
wrist to the tip of the middle finger and 8.5 inches from thumb tip to
tip of pinky when outstretched. I wouldn't want to try to use this if
my hands were much smaller.
* No scroll wheel. I don't find this a major problem, as I've never
used them, but if you want one, you'll need to go elsewhere.
* No hardware support for X buttons 4 and 5.
* Looks like a gym shoe. :-)
On the whole, though, I've been very satisfied with mine.
Richard
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