My very first optical #mouse, a #Microsoft #IntelliMouse Optical, has finally died. It was over 25 years old.
Shockingly, it wasn't the buttons; they were, somehow, still working fine until now. There was some kind of electronic failure. The mouse no longer lights up and the pointer no longer moves.
I don't think I've seen a mouse before or since that lasted anywhere near as long as this one did. Very impressive.
Well, this mouse wasn't great. Its resolution was far too low for a modern screen. I'm just surprised by its durability.
I would like a new mouse, but the combination of wired and metal wheel seems nearly nonexistent. Sigh. I did find and buy one a few months ago, and the wheel was everything I hoped it would be, but I ended up returning it because (1) poor accuracy and (2) it was covered in rubberized plastic that…well, calling it “uncomfortable” would be an understatement.
@argv_minus_one My problem is mouse size. I get the compacts because the way I use a mouse is by resting my wrist on the actual desk and manipulating the mouse with my fingertips. I don’t rest my entire hand on the mouse like most people, so normal mice are literally twice as big as what I can use. Right now I’m using an Onn mouse, it’s compact, dual Bluetooth and wireless receiver - great mouse, compact, but it’s still a little too large.
This Radio Shack mini is the only other mouse I like.
If that's how you use a mouse then you'll probably enjoy a finger trackball like the Kensington Orbit. I had one of those as a kid.
Only downside was that you had to clean it. Modern trackballs (including the current generation of Orbit) are optical, so it's not as bad as it used to be, but you still can't get away with zero cleaning like a normal mouse.
I'm tempted to get one myself, but the SO would kill me. 😅 She doesn't even like curved keyboards, let alone exotic pointing devices.
Maybe, but you're already pretty much using your mouse like a finger trackball, so I dunno about that. The buttons would be in a different place, though.
Here's a picture of what I had as a kid (except this one is optical), so you know what I'm talking about: https://www.kensington.com/p/products/electronic-control-solutions/trackball-products/orbit-optical-trackball3-2/
Note that this one doesn't have a scroll wheel. Back when I had one, scroll wheels weren't a thing yet. They make trackballs with a provision for scrolling, but I've never used those.
I kinda wonder what it'd be like if I could hold a button (I guess with the other hand) and use the ball itself for scrolling. I bet that'd be comfy. It'd probably need some special support from the app and/or operating system, though.
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