How do I avoid enshitification of my keyboard and mouse

https://lemmy.world/post/20133634

How do I avoid enshitification of my keyboard and mouse - Lemmy.World

I have been using Logitech peripherals for years. Logitech gear always just worked. Now they demand internet accounts to use the features of the keyboard and mouse that I purchased. WTF? Not only that, have to use wide-open-to-snooping Chrome to adjust the settings. You cannot adjust/use your mouse and keyboard if you just use Firefox. This only makes sense if they are planning (or are already) tracking my every move online to sell to advertisers or spooks. What are the good options? Also, if anybody sees how these changes could be benign, please let me know.

Personally I would just avoid Logitech. I have noticed their stuff mysteriously breaks every 2-3 years and I have to replace it. It’s like planned obsolescence with them.

It can be frustrating finding a good alternative brand. I’m always on the hunt for one. I’ve had a Das Keyboard for a long time now, and it’s fantastic. My wireless mouse is a Tecknet. It’s not great but it’s pretty good. If there’s a Best Buy close to you it may be worth your time to go there and test drive some peripherals.

I’ve had much the opposite experience, in my case coming from using a variety of Razer peripherals and having them all die early deaths, and then Razer themselves to be completely useless in regards to support even well within their warranty period. I gave up and switched to basically all Logitech stuff, which has been flawless for me for many many years.

If everything from all major brands is going to require Yet Another Fucking Account (thus far Logitech does not appear to, or at least not the stuff from them I have) I will just be forced to switch to buying generic brandless Chinese garbage and deal with replacing it regularly. Generic Chinese crap never has an app or an account requirement.

I don’t think I’ve ever had any Razer stuff. I’ve had terrible luck with Logitech, but if you’ve had good luck with it, I can understand why you might want to stay with it. AFAIK Logitech periphs should “just work” with a PC, Mac Linux, or other GNU-Linux box. But yeah…wouldn’t surprise me if they try to force the cloud issue and/or want a subscription in the future.

Thus far all of my Logitech devices are in the “just works” category, but admittedly none of them are brand new. The most recent is the M510 mouse I use on my office PC. Maybe their newer stuff is all bullshit now; I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn if it were.

If so, it makes me more motivated to finally get around to ordering a new microswitch for the left-clicker on my old Mx518 mouse.