deskthority

I would personally love to use an old school trackball as my main mouse, though right now I'm using a Dell Intellimouse 1.3A with a 1.1A ball (not a perfect fit but better than nothing).

The truth? Not really. I need two buttons and the wheel and that's about it... except for the size. I have big hands, so small mouses are uncomfortable to use, so I've ended up using a "gamer" mouse but only for the comfort of its size.

If there were a large old-school mouse (WITH scrolling wheel! So, old but not that old), I'd probably use it without issue.

depletedvespene wrote: ↑The truth? Not really. I need two buttons and the wheel and that's about it... except for the size. I have big hands, so small mouses are uncomfortable to use, so I've ended up using a "gamer" mouse but only for the comfort of its size.

If there were a large old-school mouse (WITH scrolling wheel! So, old but not that old), I'd probably use it without issue.

Try getting an old Intellimouse!

Not large enough.

I have a few brand new old stock Wheel Mouse Opticals that I'll be using for the next 50 years or so

I wonder if anyone here uses a trackball or a mouse from the 1990's

I don't anymore, but a few years ago I found a new old stock Logitech Trackman at Goodwill for $5 and used it for awhile. Despite being almost two decades old, it worked almost perfectly. Unfortunately the wireless dongle was gigantic.

I use this sometimes in work. Yes thats RS232 > PS/2 > USB ... converter porn.

Nooooice!!

That is a real pool ball too no crappy light plastic balls for me

I'd like a vintage "cueball", but it's been 25 years since I've laid eyes on one in person. A drafting class I attened once had a bunch for AutoCad, circa 1992.

I use a Logitech M570, similar to the one above. I love it. I can't use a typical mouse for longer than a few minutes before pain sets in. So really a cue ball would be great to minimize wrist movement.

What about an IBM Scrollpoint Pro (http://www.ibmfiles.com/pages/scrollpoint.htm) ? It's the first mouse that fits in my rather large* hands and built like an armored rodent that's clicky too. [*) Definitely not insinuating any political commentary here.]

Reflotron wrote: ↑What about an IBM Scrollpoint Pro (http://www.ibmfiles.com/pages/scrollpoint.htm) ? It's the first mouse that fits in my rather large* hands and built like an armored rodent that's clicky too. [*) Definitely not insinuating any political commentary here.]

LOL! That is the mouse that destroyed my wrist! Well, maybe no completely its fault, but I had one for around five or six years before it crapped out. I did love that mouse!

Reflotron wrote: ↑What about an IBM Scrollpoint Pro (http://www.ibmfiles.com/pages/scrollpoint.htm) ? It's the first mouse that fits in my rather large* hands and built like an armored rodent that's clicky too. [*) Definitely not insinuating any political commentary here.]

Yes, I have one and use it almost daily. Easily my favourite computer mouse.

No, older mice with low sensitivity don't deal well with current higher resolution screens IMHO. I also prefer having a few more buttons and tilt wheel. My current weapon of choice? G502.

Did try a ScrollPoint once, interesting idea and a bit of a shame it did not catch on.

I did for a while use an Evergreen Systems trackball while I waited for my new Expert Mouse to come in; it was made for US Navy tactical computers and its tracking mechanism is hugely overbuilt, but it's not precise by any means and very rough on diagonal movements. I've got a Joystick Technologies Rollermouse (CH Products DT225) that I love, but it's the old, 8-switch variant and I can't for the life of me find the settings for the DIP switches and thus how to get it to have a third button and thus enable the scroll function in the browser. I'd love to use it day-to-day, but I play a few games that more-or-less rely on the scroll wheel being there, and that's one thing that vintage mice/trackballs just don't have.

For the one seeking a vintage-ish mouse suited to those of use who have canned hams for hands, look for the Logitech MouseMan+, four buttons, scroll wheel, big shape that you can properly rest your hand on. Seems that modern mouse manufacturers have just abandoned the notion of even being able to use the mouse rightly (you're meant to drape your hand over it, resting on it, and move it with your whole arm). Unfortunately for me, playing games encourages you to use it wrongly (wresting the heel of the hand on the mousepad and moving it with the fingers) so I ended up with cumulative trauma injury in my wrist and had to switch to the trackball. Just as well, more room on the keyboard tray, so I can fit my 122-key Model F!

wobbled wrote: ↑
I have a few brand new old stock Wheel Mouse Opticals that I'll be using for the next 50 years or so

I have at least 4 stockpiled. I use one daily at work and at home for my left hand.

My real fave is my Anker "Vertical" (actually about 45 degrees, which is much better than vertical) but it only comes in right-hand.

green-squid wrote: ↑I wonder if anyone here uses a trackball or a mouse from the 1990's

What would you like to know? My daily driver is the wired, USB "Kensington Expert Mouse". The trackball itself is huge and very comfortable to use for hours at a time. Most Kensington products have a bad reputation for reliability and quality, but I have had mine since 2012 and it has worked without fail. I don't know if this was designed in the 1990s, but it looks like it could come from that decade from its styling:

Look Green Squid, the first scroll prototype ever built It's a modded IBM 1339346 built in the late 80s. Scarpia swapped the internals of one of these (the original without scroll) with other mouse, according to him isn't uncomfortable and very satisfactory. Anyway I think they are PS/2, but mechanical mouses sucks.

Not sure if it counts, but I use an M-S69 with the guts of a Gpro inside. The harder companies try to build the perfect mouse, the worse the shapes seem to get

I use a NOS Mitsumi ECM-S3902 mouse.There's just something about the feedback from an actual ball, vs those cheap plastic $1 junk optical mice everywhere today.

I once even used a Razer "gaming" mouse once and it felt even crappier than most cheap junk mice. Plus the buttons would actuate with almost no force, making it a nightmare to use.

abrahamstechnology wrote: ↑IThere's just something about the feedback from an actual ball

That sounds a bit like my experience when I use my older IBM mice. I love how they 'whirr' over the surface of my desk.

I use a logitech trackman marble fx mouse I've had it since I was in 9th grade its taken me from Baldurs Gate and Ultima online to today I love it. They don't make anything like it today. I have gotten several other trackballs and optical mice but nothing ever felt as good so I always went back. Here's a pic of someone elses.

LessthanZero wrote: ↑I use a logitech trackman marble fx mouse I've had it since I was in 9th grade its taken me from Baldurs Gate and Ultima online to today I love it. They don't make anything like it today. I have gotten several other trackballs and optical mice but nothing ever felt as good so I always went back. Here's a pic of someone elses.

Are there any Mac drivers that enable scrolling on these old Logitech trackballs?

Here is a good page about converting from ps2 to USB.
http://www.catb.org/esr/trackman-conversion/
It has three buttons for us Unix guys and the red button is a scroll/zoom lock button you depress it and then moving the ball zooms in or out or scrolls up or down. It never worked right under Windows if I remember correctly. In Linux it is mapped to mouse button 8.

green-squid wrote: ↑I would personally love to use an old school trackball as my main mouse, though right now I'm using a Dell Intellimouse 1.3A with a 1.1A ball (not a perfect fit but better than nothing).

Still using one on an old Intel P5 setup downstairs.

Very comfortable and extremely usable on a smaller CRT screen. Have no intention of ever throwing it away within my life time.

To do what? Terminal access?

I’ve toyed with using vintage computers from time to time as well, but asides from vintage gaming there’s not much use in them after initial setup. The internet they were made for (if at all) is dead and buried. This is why I like to use vintage keyboards with modern hardware instead. Keyboards are the one hardware artifact of the digital age that’s not only still pristine but superior to subsequent replacements.

Does he print the text and mail it to his secretary?

Muirium wrote: ↑To do what? Terminal access?

I’ve toyed with using vintage computers from time to time as well, but asides from vintage gaming there’s not much use in them after initial setup. The internet they were made for (if at all) is dead and buried. This is why I like to use vintage keyboards with modern hardware instead. Keyboards are the one hardware artifact of the digital age that’s not only still pristine but superior to subsequent replacements.

Modern PCs followed the same quality decline as keyboards did. Look at the laptop market nowadays, thin, flimsy, glued-together pieces of crap that won't last beyond a year, even if it did, everything is all BGA soldered together with terrible quality solder that tin-whiskers after a while, thanks to the environmental mafia that knows nothing about electronics.

Besides increased speeds, modern computers have progressively become worse. I have a Core2Quad as my main system, and a first-generation i5 as my laptop, I expect them both to serve me for the next 5 years, at least until I can afford a custom 51nb Thinkpad.