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Input devices

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  • OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriff
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

    Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

    D M I K H 12 Replies Last reply
    0
    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

      For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

      Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

      D Offline
      D Offline
      Dalek Dave
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      OriginalGriff wrote:

      Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand...

      Visit a few pr0n sites and this will be easy to manage.

      ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave

      OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

        For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

        Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

        M Offline
        M Offline
        Maximilien
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        As a left hand, I find that using the mouse with the right hand is still the best option for me; I can write while using the mouse. Using a pen/tablet would mean using it with the left hand and loosing the ability to do something useful with the other hand.

        Watched code never compiles.

        T 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • D Dalek Dave

          OriginalGriff wrote:

          Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand...

          Visit a few pr0n sites and this will be easy to manage.

          ------------------------------------ I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave

          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriff
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          I dunno - I might be a little... ...distracted. :-D

          Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

            For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

            Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

            I Offline
            I Offline
            Ian Shlasko
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            For regular computing and gaming, I use a Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse[^] (The nifty-looking blue one) For graphics work, I have a Wacom Bamboo tablet[^] I've tried using the tablet for normal web browsing and such, but it just doesn't feel right. You have to hover the pen just above the pad to get the cursor to move, and that gets uncomfortable after a while. Trackballs, though... No way... I've tried them, and I feel like I'm playing Lunar Lander, the cursor swinging back and forth as I try to center it on a button.

            Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
            Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

              For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

              Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

              K Offline
              K Offline
              Keith Barrow
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              I've been using logitec trackballs for about 4 years now, it took me weeks to get used to it. This was mainly to prevent the ache caused by moving the mouse. I tried a graphics tablet, I kept getting "writer's cramp" with it, YMMV of course. I'm sticking with the trackball until something better comes along, though the are useless for games.

              ragnaroknrol The Internet is For Porn[^]
              Pete o'Hanlon: If it wasn't insulting tools, I'd say you were dumber than a bag of spanners.

              H 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                H Offline
                H Offline
                Henry Minute
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                I tried a Graphics Tablet, couldn't get on with it at all although it did have an A5 pad. Error 1. I got a really, really cheap one as I only wanted to see what it was all about. Crappy drivers. Error 2. I should have gotten a bigger desk so that I could have kept mouse/mousepad and tablet in convenient positions. As it was I couldn't get on with it well enough for everyday use, so it got shuffled away behind the monitor where it got forgotten and eventually disconnected.

                Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • K Keith Barrow

                  I've been using logitec trackballs for about 4 years now, it took me weeks to get used to it. This was mainly to prevent the ache caused by moving the mouse. I tried a graphics tablet, I kept getting "writer's cramp" with it, YMMV of course. I'm sticking with the trackball until something better comes along, though the are useless for games.

                  ragnaroknrol The Internet is For Porn[^]
                  Pete o'Hanlon: If it wasn't insulting tools, I'd say you were dumber than a bag of spanners.

                  H Offline
                  H Offline
                  Henry Minute
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Keith Barrow wrote:

                  I'm sticking with the trackball until something better comes along,

                  How about one of these[^]. Independent review[^]. I think it might be a good thing but I don't have a spare £59 to find out.

                  Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”

                  K 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • H Henry Minute

                    Keith Barrow wrote:

                    I'm sticking with the trackball until something better comes along,

                    How about one of these[^]. Independent review[^]. I think it might be a good thing but I don't have a spare £59 to find out.

                    Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”

                    K Offline
                    K Offline
                    Keith Barrow
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    I've hated the notebook trackpads I've used, but this might be OK, but £59 is way too rich for my tastes. Plus, every time I used it there'd be the nagging voice reminding me the money went to Apple, and a sense of guilt would ensue (just like my iPhone). What I really want is a touchscreen PC with an integrated touchscreen keyboard a bit like a bigger, bent iPad (but with whatever software I want on it thank'ee very much). I think we may only be a few years/months till someone tries from something like this.

                    ragnaroknrol The Internet is For Porn[^]
                    Pete o'Hanlon: If it wasn't insulting tools, I'd say you were dumber than a bag of spanners.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • I Ian Shlasko

                      For regular computing and gaming, I use a Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse[^] (The nifty-looking blue one) For graphics work, I have a Wacom Bamboo tablet[^] I've tried using the tablet for normal web browsing and such, but it just doesn't feel right. You have to hover the pen just above the pad to get the cursor to move, and that gets uncomfortable after a while. Trackballs, though... No way... I've tried them, and I feel like I'm playing Lunar Lander, the cursor swinging back and forth as I try to center it on a button.

                      Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                      Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

                      R Offline
                      R Offline
                      Rocky Moore
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      Yeah, I moved to the Graphire tablet somewhere around 2000-2002. Love a lightweight, wireless, balless mouse (tablet has the cord) with no batteries. Then you still have the pen abilities for some photoshop stuff when needed. Nice device.

                      Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Simon’s Cat – Funny Cartoons

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • M Maximilien

                        As a left hand, I find that using the mouse with the right hand is still the best option for me; I can write while using the mouse. Using a pen/tablet would mean using it with the left hand and loosing the ability to do something useful with the other hand.

                        Watched code never compiles.

                        T Offline
                        T Offline
                        Tom Delany
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        Maximilien wrote:

                        the ability to do something useful with the other hand.

                        See previous post: http://www.codeproject.com/Messages/3552728/Re-Input-devices.aspx[^]

                        WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                          For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                          Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                          D Offline
                          D Offline
                          dybs
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          My wife's been eyeing this[^] since she saw one a couple years ago at a photography trade show. A bit pricey, but would sure be nice for all the detailed photoshop work.

                          The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen

                          B 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                            For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                            Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                            S Offline
                            S Offline
                            Snowman58
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            I have used the original Kensington Trackball for 20 years (really that long??? damn!). But I really like a "good" trackpad. I can use it with either hand and the hands stay closer to the keyboard. You can select by simply tapping on the pad, etc.

                            Melting Away www.deals-house.com www.innovative--concepts.com

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                              For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                              Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                              N Offline
                              N Offline
                              neurobox
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              You know, I don't know if you do any 3D graphics work.. but as an engineer I can't live without some form of 6DOF device like those from 3dconnexion. Maybe I'm just spoiled, but it's the best "input device" for that type of work, as it saves thousands of points clicks and drags a day. If you've haven't seen these things lately, it's worth a look just to know they exist. By the way, does the slight lag time in the average Wireless Mouse bother anyone else?

                              D 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                                Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                                E Offline
                                E Offline
                                Eaverae
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                Yeah, I also swear to my trackball; I love to have an anchorpoint on my desk which I can hold on to in case I get overwhelmed by something cool on my screens. :)

                                "My personality is not represented by my hometown."

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                  For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                                  Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                                  R Offline
                                  R Offline
                                  rriosarias
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  I've used logitech trackballs for at least 15 years. I recently purchaseda wireless trackball and I love it. I dont play any games so that's not really an issue for me.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • D dybs

                                    My wife's been eyeing this[^] since she saw one a couple years ago at a photography trade show. A bit pricey, but would sure be nice for all the detailed photoshop work.

                                    The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen

                                    B Offline
                                    B Offline
                                    BrainiacV
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    That's why I bought a tablet PC, it was cheaper and gave me a computer at the same time. I've tried digitizing pads and have seen people do magical things with them, but I'm a causal user, I don't spend 8+ hours a day drawing. So having the tablet screen to draw on with the stylus as needed has worked fairly well. Biggest problem has been the parallax problem between the image, glass, and pen tip. But zoom enough and that problem is reduced. Certainly beats trying to get digitizing pad and stylus orientation to match the screen. Drawing directly on the image has been far easier. But again, I don't do this as a living.

                                    Psychosis at 10 Film at 11

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                      For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                                      Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                                      T Offline
                                      T Offline
                                      TNCaver
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      The RollerMouse Pro[^] is what I've been wishing for, but I haven't worked up the courage to ask my boss to spend the $200 for it, even though I think it would ease the carpal tunnel symptoms I've been having lately.

                                      P 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • N neurobox

                                        You know, I don't know if you do any 3D graphics work.. but as an engineer I can't live without some form of 6DOF device like those from 3dconnexion. Maybe I'm just spoiled, but it's the best "input device" for that type of work, as it saves thousands of points clicks and drags a day. If you've haven't seen these things lately, it's worth a look just to know they exist. By the way, does the slight lag time in the average Wireless Mouse bother anyone else?

                                        D Offline
                                        D Offline
                                        dybs
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        I actually had a project where the customer wanted us to support use of a 3dconnexion device for manipulating a 3D graph. One of my co-workers actually implemented it, but after a bit of practice it makes moving the graph around much easier.

                                        The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                          For years and years I have used Logitech trackballs: ever since I stopped swearing at mice and they turned them upside down in fact. Brilliant, no more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click a button. And I hated every laptop mouse pad with a passion. But this morning my new toy arrived - a graphics tablet and pen. I dunno, but I may not use my trackball for work again. Ok, so double clicking is a pain, but that will (hopefully) come with practice, and it would be horrible for games. Ok, the pad size is A6 and looks a bit small. And it does feel unnatural to be controlling a computer with a pen. But... But... It is so much easier to do any graphics work. Now, if I could just learn to type with my left hand... Anyone else tried these? Or are you all sticking to those nasty rodents?

                                          Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                                          P Offline
                                          P Offline
                                          pg az
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          OriginalGriff wrote:

                                          if I could just learn to type with my left hand

                                          A year or so I bought a Matias full-size keyboard with the one-hand-technology. This was quite nice up to about 5 characters, faster with one hand than to lift the right hand from the mouse. I am not so nice to keyboards, every now and then I trip over the cord and they crash to the floor. One day the Matias simply stopped working. SO if you buy one treat it nicely. A casual search seems to indicate that the $100 model is not to be found anymore, they want $600, sigh. Exactly like Andy Grove said about patents - "Sit on your ass and give everyone the finger". The Matias idea is not that earthshaking, he could probably license it for $10 or so and make a nice pile, it's worth that much. But nooo....

                                          pg--az

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