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I am going to start where we left off last time, with that damnable hockey puck mouse. After I chose a new keyboard with real keys, I needed to go mouse hunting. As I did with the original iMac keyboard, I tried to live with the round mouse for far too long. In the warm afterglow of working on a new
iMac, I overlooked the obvious: while the computer itself was near perfect in every way, the physical interface was terrible in every way. Replacing the keyboard was the first step. A new mouse was the second.
Like my friendly old keyboard, my favorite mouse prior to the iMac had been on my desk a long time. Every new Mac came with a new mouse, yet I was hooked my seven-year-old four-button Kensington Thinking Mouse. Multi-button mice have become synonymous with Windows, but they deserve a seat at the Mac table too.
I dislike the way Windows utilizes multi-button mice. The choice of assigning a function to a right or left click can seem arbitrary and confusing, while the Mac's standard mouse button keeps the basic software design simple. I hope Apple keep to a single button, but I would like to see them include support for programming multi-button mice in the operating system to avoid compatibility problems.
The primary difference between what I dislike about Windows mouse buttons and what I like about Mac multi-button mice is programmability. I loved my Thinking Mouse because I could set the buttons to whatever function I desired. Although the software could assign different functions in each application, I tended to stay with universal functions: a button for the standard mouse click; another to invoke the contextual menu; a third would close the active window; and the last button would "press" the enter key.
Using the round single-button iMac mouse for a few months after years with my four-button wonder took a little getting used to, but I put up with it as the price of progress. I originally planned to wait until Kensington made a USB version of their Thinking Mouse, and for the mouse marketplace to settle a bit. But now that I had a real keyboard, my patience with the original mouse ran out. Besides, I was excited about using a mouse with a scroll wheel.
The choice between optical and mechanical technology was next on my path to a new mouse. I have wished for an easy way to clean mechanical mice for fifteen years, and an optical mouse would do away with the fun of scrubbing the gunk off those little plastic wheels forever. However, I found that a 3M Precise Mousing Surface mousepad under a mechanical mouse feels every bit as solid and accurate as an optical mouse. Which is fortunate, since I am a little weary of too much progress to jump on the optical bandwagon right away.
I did not make an exhaustive survey of available mice. They are inexpensive enough to qualify as near-disposable these days, and frankly the only real difference between most models is color of the plastic housing and the bundled software. Whichever mouse you choose will be a huge improvement over the hockey puck mouse. So pick your favorite color. See that it feels good in your hand. And if your mouse does not already come with a copy, download Alessandro Levi Montalcini's outstanding shareware driver, USB Overdrive. Pay the shareware fee, and marvel at the march of progress.
Then toss the round mouse into the circular file under your desk, where it
belongs.
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"The
Round Mouse Moves to the Circular File"
