Re: [OT] Mice

[Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com>]

On Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:00:24 +0200, tv.debian@googlemail.com wrote:

>>08/06/2011 13:16, Camaleón:
>>> On Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:28:05 -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
>> 
>>> I can't remember the last time I put my mouse on a clear (glass?)
>>> surface.  But if I did, then I'd use a mousepad.
>> 
>> And what happens if you are on a conference room (or any other
>> "hostile" environment) with no mousepad at all? Only you, a pristine
>> clear surface and your hi-tech laser mouse ;-)

> I don't want to advertise a particular brand (that you'll guess anyway)
> but I bought a cordless small mouse to go with my laptop, it has a newer
> (or re-branded ?) technology ("darkfield") and works on mirror, glass,
> all shiny surfaces I have tried it on (except the laptop screen itself),
> on the lap, sofa ...etc. Plus the batteries last a long time, and the
> receiver is really tiny.
> I used to be an "anti" cordless, because of battery consumption,
> excessive weight or bad weight distribution due to batteries, bulky
> receivers, poor signal range, bad Linux support. I have to say all those
> annoyances are gone for my use cases. I now love "spaghetti-free"
> desktops.

Good. I'll have that in mind when I have to ditch my current rolling ball 
mouse... foreseen at 2020 or so :-)

But nowadays the majority of laser based mice lose their eficiency on 
transparent/reflective surfaces so let's wait the market evolves this 
situation a bit and more manufacturers embrace that kind of technologies. 
I don't like to be limited to choose between just two or three mice 
models made by Logitech ;-)

>>> 1) The ball gets dirty and sticks.  Yes, you can clean it, but laser
>>>     mice never get dirty.
>> 
>> Doesn't need to be re-calibrated? Never?
> I never had to recalibrate any of my optical mouses, and some of my
> activities require precision (photo and video editing).

Good to know but how many years old is your mouse (2, 5, 10...)?

>>> 2) The ball doesn't roll well on some surfaces.  The laser works on
>>>     more surfaces.
>> 
>> I can live with a corded laser/bluetrack mouse but not with a wireless
>> one.
>> 
>> 
> For my desktops I use exclusively "trackball/trackman" pointing devices,
> my current is cordless, optical (the sensor "reads" the movements of the
> ball), works on virtually any surface since it doesn't rely on it to
> work. As a bonus it saved me from carpal canal surgery. Now I can't work
> for a long period with anything else. The single battery lasts for a
> really long time (over a year).
> 
> Those devices are all Linux friendly, and work out of the box (including
> buttons) on my Linux's (Debian, Kubuntu, Fedora).

When wireless mice batteries last years for a 24-hour usage, I re-think 
my possition. For now I'll stick to my cables. I have enough for both, 
wifi and wireless technologies... both still need to be improved a lot.

Greetings,

-- 
Camaleón