Anyone here use a ball mouse?

[hellmet]

Well, I'm one of those who still prefer a ball mouse over an optical mouse for a few of reasons.
- They're heavy and I actually feel like I'm using something.
- They're more precise than most economical opticals (until dust+lint decide to screw it).
- Most ball mice around around are old, from a time when quantity didn't mean everything over quality.

Lasers are not for people like me yet (can't afford them).

Anyone who still use one?

[tmette]

Umm...no I was tired of cleaning them anyways. You mean you can't afford a cheap $20 optical mouse?

[sydbat]

Nope. And optical mice are maybe $10. You should upgrade.

[malspa]

Optical only here. I've seen 'em for as low as $6. Got tired of having to take that ball out and clean it.

[Irony]

I recently got a cheap optical mouse but it was vague and used a usb port, so I went back to my balled mouse and freed up one of my 8 or so usb ports because it is ps2.

A balled mouse is more manly.

[Phrea]

Lasers here.

[Phrea]

A balled mouse is more manly.

:lolflag:

[hellmet]

Umm...no I was tired of cleaning them anyways. You mean you can't afford a cheap $20 optical mouse?
Not optical. I cannot afford lasers. And, $20 is a day's salary for the middle class in India and a week's salary for some.

[Frogs Hair]

I keep the ball mouse for a backup if the optical fails . I do use a cord because it's cheaper.

[malspa]

I recently got a cheap optical mouse but it was vague and used a usb port, so I went back to my balled mouse and freed up one of my 8 or so usb ports because it is ps2.

I use a little USB to PS/2 adapter for that situation. I think they must be pretty easy to find because I have several of them laying around.

[malspa]

Not optical. I cannot afford lasers. And, $20 is a day's salary for the middle class in India and a week's salary for some.

In that case, I'd surely stick with a ball mouse. Here, I could probably walk into a second-hand store and come out with an optical mouse for a dollar or two.

[dragos240]

I hated my old one, I kept removing the ball so I could use it. If it's the weight you want, there are weighted mice.

[Swagman]

Nope.. Trackball here

[m_duck]

Nope.. Trackball here
And here.

[dtfinch]

I currently have a wired laser mouse, which I'm pretty happy with. Regular optical mice I've used require a more textured surface, and still jump around a lot. Previously I used ball mice long after most of the world had switched to optical.

My laser mouse was $12 last year when I bought it on newegg. Looks like it's up to $15 now. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826623004

Being cheap, mine has no speed toggle, which was fine on Windows, but Ubuntu's mouse preferences lack the speed range needed to slow down a 1600dpi mouse to a usable speed. At the lowest speed, it still jumped across the screen when I moved it a half inch or so. Found instructions to slow it down to a normal speed here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1469566

[WinterRain]

I recently got a cheap optical mouse but it was vague and used a usb port, so I went back to my balled mouse and freed up one of my 8 or so usb ports because it is ps2.

A balled mouse is more manly.

You use all 8 usb ports?

And no, a balled mouse is not more manly. Throw away your mouse and use a keyboard only. Now that's manly.

[lisati]

I still have two such gadgets somewhere, but rarely use them these days. Neither has a scroll wheel, I can't be bothered getting a PS/2 to USB adapter for them (my laptop doesn't have a PS/2 port), and cleaning them out can be a pain when the lint and dust get too much.

[standingwave]

Optical only here. I've seen 'em for as low as $6. Got tired of having to take that ball out and clean it.I just checked google products (http://www.google.com/products?client=ubuntu&q=optical+mouse&oe=utf-8&scoring=p) and see them as low $3 (new) and $2 (refurbished). There's no reason they shouldn't be cheaper than balls -- no moving parts.

[new_tolinux]

Nope.. Trackball here

And here.
And here two, 1 for the desktop and one for my laptop :P

But there are still a few optical mice around for computers I don't use that often (and for some precision work on the desktop).

Ball mice left the house as soon as optical mice became affordable. I was so tired about them not working properly that until today I'm still doing a lot with keyboard shortcuts instead of mice. Mice weren't that good back in the 80's and although they got better in the 90's I just never really got used to use them when I can do the same in less time with my keyboard.

[formaldehyde_spoon]

Not optical. I cannot afford lasers. And, $20 is a day's salary for the middle class in India and a week's salary for some.

A lot of people don't seem to know the difference between a laser mouse and an optical mouse.

A laser mouse uses a laser to measure movement (duh! ;) ), an optical one uses a (usually)red LED to get images for it's camera..

In my experience optical mice don't like reflective surfaces, laser mice don't like rough surfaces (eg carpet).

[dubhear]

corded laser with a special "glued-to-table" Nova Microexpert mousemat = \\:D/

[PC_load_letter]

Optical trackball here, best thing since the floss :D

[NMFTM]

I have a Logitech Marble Mouse that I use for general computing tasks and Borderlands (I play a sniper character and my cheap optical mouse isn't precise enough) and a cheap Dynex optical mouse I use for general gaming. Like Call of Duty, Nexuiz, or Unreal Tournament. I like not having to move my hand around. Also, hardly anyone else uses trackballs so I get to be different. I don't see any reason why I couldn't use a trackball for general gaming except for the learning curve.

Actually, I just realized after typing all of that that by "ball mouse" you meant a mouse with a ball in it. Not a trackball. Oh well, I'm going to post anyway.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Dude I have a bajillion optical and laser mice because people would always dump their old computers with my dad because he was a kiss *** and told them he could fix them (my brother and I had to fix them), but they never took them back.

[hellmet]

Ball mice left the house as soon as optical mice became affordable. I was so tired about them not working properly that until today I'm still doing a lot with keyboard shortcuts instead of mice. Mice weren't that good back in the 80's and although they got better in the 90's I just never really got used to use them when I can do the same in less time with my keyboard.


Some of the cheaper ball mice are sure a pain in the hand, but some quality ones like a Dell ball mouse I have from 2005 works really well even today. Precise and smooth.

[DoktorSeven]

I did until a few years ago. Before then, all but the most expensive optical mice just didn't feel accurate enough to me compared to even the cheapest ball mice.

Now I can't tell the difference. Improvements and all that.

[WinterRain]

Well, I'm one of those who still prefer a ball mouse over an optical mouse for a few of reasons.
Some people prefer the old style rotary phones also, and I'm not knocking that.

- They're heavy and I actually feel like I'm using something.
Not always true. My optical mouse is heavier than any ball mouse I have in the basement.

- They're more precise than most economical opticals (until dust+lint decide to screw it).
Definitely not true. Ask any serious gamer which is more accurate.

- Most ball mice around around are old, from a time when quantity didn't mean everything over quality.
You obviously havn't used a good optical mouse. You generally get what you pay for. And with no moving parts, there's less that can break.


Lasers are not for people like me yet (can't afford them).
It's understandable if you can't afford one, and is a valid reason not to have one. But spreading FUD about something you don't even own is unacceptable.

[SoFl W]

Had so many old machines at work and a lot of ball mice sitting around, usually when we had to work on a headless system a ball mouse was easy to find. Otherwise I too was sick of cleaning them.

[DouglasAWh]

I use a track ball, so, sorta...

[Hyper Tails]

I used one before on my old PC, but I don't anymore, I use a laser mouse

[jflaker]

My optical mouse failed a few months ago where the buttons were "bouncing" causing single clicks to be interpreted as double clicks.

A $10 optical mouse does not have a high resolution, generally. You will need to find a high resolution optical pointer with a high resolution optical mouse pad....

Anyway...I prefer an optical as they don't get gunked up like a roller mouse or track ball does....it seems I am cleaning these rollers once a week.

[frostschutz]

When I read the subject I meant you were talking about trackballs i.e. the ones with the ball on top or at the thumb where you don't have to move the mouse at all but rotate the ball in whatever direction you like instead.

I have one of those. It's very nice for a change, great if you have a hand injury since you don't have to move it around so much, but can get annoying if you need speed and accuracy (i.e. if you play games that utilize mouse occasionally).

But an old style ball mouse - no way in hell I'd ever use one of these things again. Optical mouses work just fine, and don't require anywhere near as extensive cleaning.

Even my trackball mouse uses an optical unit to see how the ball is being rotated...

[blueturtl]

I prefer a trackball for office work.

In regular mice moving to optical or laser is one area where I feel they've actually really improved on the original technology (instead of just polishing it). That said the new mice have problems with some surfaces. A lot of the time I find people have mousemats or table surfaces that make the new tech mice skip and jump around. I am not a fan of that. The old mice worked always and pretty much on everything but in turn required regular clean ups. Personally I don't think it was such a big deal. A couple of quick swipes and the mouse would be like new again.

[clarkkillick]

I use a mechanical (ball) mouse. I only use second-hand hardware, because I don't like all the waste I see, and because it saves money. So far, I haven't found a discarded optical mouse.

There are a lot of complaints on this thread about dirt in mechanical mice. (1) I find that mouse mats don't work well. I use a piece of plain, unvarnished plywood. (2) Mice with thin plastic internal rollers pick up dirt quickly. Large plastic rollers are better, but large metal rollers are the best. (3) It is the rollers and the diagonally mounted pressure wheel that need cleaning more than the ball.

Years ago I visited a BBC computing display, it ran on BBC Micros; must have been about 1990. There was a BIG trackball, it was lovely, the nicest pointing device I've ever used. The ball was metal, either chromed or stainless steel, about 7cm diameter, and moved with no noticeable friction. The display was a big screen several metres away. I could spin the ball in the direction I chose and let the inertia move the pointer, braking it when I wanted. I wish I could find one.

[DrBlob]

hellmet (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=133810)
You speak like optical and laser mice are complety diffrent
I cant see any diffrence.

[Icarus_Complex]

I love a ball mouse. I would use one more but I use my pc so much it gets messed up with dust & dirt. So I'm stuck with an optical mouse =/

[McRat]

Is this a South Park skit?

Do you like Balls on Mice?

Do you like Fish Sticks?

[Random_Dude]

hellmet (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=133810)
You speak like optical and laser mice are complety diffrent
I cant see any diffrence.

To put it simple:
The optical mouse has a red light beneath. In the case of a laser mouse you can't see the light (and it's a laser, unlike the optical mouse).

I use a laser mouse.
Don't have to clean it, and it's not too fancy or expensive.

Cheers :cool:

[koolblue3]

Hi,

I am using a Razer Lachesis. It likes being a POS and stop tracking sometimes though. Even after the firmware updates they still have not completely fixed the problem.

[angry_johnnie]

I do, on my secondary box.

Can't really say i like it, but what the heck :p

A track ball would be nice, though :)

[koleoptero]

A friend of mine uses a wireless ball mouse. The oddest thing I've seen.

[scouser73]

Optical mice are brilliant.

[nikhilbhardwaj]

Not optical. I cannot afford lasers. And, $20 is a day's salary for the middle class in India and a week's salary for some.
here we have another crybaby
never been poor but does his best to show that the country is.
what do you do with such fa****s