# Button on laptop keyboard for controlling the mouse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180 "2012-08-30T19:20:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/1 "2012-08-30T19:20:56Z")
On some laptop keyboards there is a small rubber or foam button in the middle of the keyboard that can be used to control the mouse. On the one I’m using it’s a circular rubber one below the letters G and H and above the B. I don’t really understand why the button is there - I just always use the touchpad and can’t really envisage why you would use this keyboard button. Is it just an alternative way of mouse moving for those who don’t like touchpads, or is there something more sophisticated that it offers? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/2 "2012-08-30T19:24:54Z")
It’s generically called a [pointing stick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick) and is simply an alternative to the mouse and touchpad for input. If you don’t like it, see if the software on the system lets you disable it. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/3 "2012-08-30T19:25:33Z")
The proper technical term for the pointing device you are describing is the “Clit Mouse.” It’s just an alternative (IMHO a superior one) to the touchpad. I like it because I can move the pointer around without removing my fingers from the keyboard, and because I can move the pointer across the entire screen without needing to pick up and move my fingers when I hit the edge of the touchpad. I refuse to buy a laptop without one, and I have all of my touchpads disabled. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/4 "2012-08-30T19:27:47Z")
it was in use before touchpads. allow control without moving fingers off the keys by very much. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/5 "2012-08-30T19:33:11Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > it was in use before touchpads. allow control without moving fingers off the keys by very much. This is what the inventor had in mind. It also doesn’t require as much space below the keyboard, which may be a consideration for smaller laptops. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/6 "2012-08-30T19:34:08Z")
They seem to have been largely displaced by touchpads. I guess people didn’t like them, though I am not sure why. Personally, I detest touchpads and found these things much easier to use. Mind you, in most circumstances I am very quick to plug a proper mouse into my laptop, battery be damned. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/7 "2012-08-30T20:01:16Z")
I remember them most from IBM Thinkpads back around 1995(?) or so. I found them hard to use, not nearly as precise as a mouse or touchpad. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/8 "2012-08-30T20:07:53Z")
I’d like to disable mine. I’ve had laptops where this is very sensitive (‘snerk’…clit mouse…) If I just brush it with my finger tips while typing the cursor moves somewhere else in my document and I start finishing my sentence smack dab in the middle of somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/9 "2012-08-30T20:12:59Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I’d like to disable mine. I’ve had laptops where this is very sensitive (‘snerk’..clit mouse…) If I just brush it with my finger tips while typing the cursor moves somewhere else in my document and I start finishing my sentence smack dab in the middle of somewhere else. Are you sure about this? I find that this occurs if my thumb happens to brush the touch pad. I’m sure about this because I software-disabled the touch pad and it stopped. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/10 "2012-08-30T20:17:20Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > It also doesn’t require as much space below the keyboard, which may be a consideration for smaller laptops. It used to be a big concern back when most laptops had 10" and smaller screens, and the keyboard was the limiting factor in how small you could make the laptop. (IBM even made laptops with a “folding keyboard,” aka [Butterfly keyboard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_ThinkPad_Butterfly_keyboard).) Eventually LCD screens became larger and cheaper, and once 12" and larger displays became the norm, there was no point in minimizing the size of the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/11 "2012-08-30T20:19:35Z")
p.s. [Obligatory xkcd link](http://xkcd.com/243/)… p.p.s. I wasn’t trying to imply the TrackPoint was obsolete. I use mine all the time, and would be very reluctant to buy any laptop/notebook that doesn’t have one. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/12 "2012-08-31T02:30:23Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > The proper technical term for the pointing device you are describing is the “Clit Mouse.” Then there’s the real clit mouse (Possible NSFW) hxxp://www.yankodesign.com/2010/02/11/you-mouse-around-here-often/ (It’s actually called the “G-Spot” mouse.) ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/13 "2012-08-31T06:33:17Z")
Pointing sticks do have their fans. I’m one, and as a result only buy Thinkpad notebooks. I have the opposite of the OP’s problem in that I have to disable to trackpad to avoid cursor movement by brushing it accientally. Being able to control the cursor quickly and accurately without moving my hands off the keyboard is wonderful. I suspect that those who dislike the pointing stick often either don’t know how to touch type, making moving the hands less of a burden, or haven’t really given it a proper trial. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/14 "2012-08-31T07:07:31Z")
I’ve used them. and can cope if necessary (some new HP business notebooks have one in addition to a trackpad). I’d say that the reason many people don’t like them is that they control the mouse in a different way, more akin to a joystick, whereas trackpads, trackballs and mice are sort of proportional. I work in IT and they tend to be called (in informal contexts) ‘a tit’ here - as in “Here, let me do it… where’s your mouse? … Oh, it’s a tit”. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/15 "2012-08-31T09:31:07Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I’d like to disable mine. I’ve had laptops where this is very sensitive (‘snerk’..clit mouse…) If I just brush it with my finger tips while typing the cursor moves somewhere else in my document and I start finishing my sentence smack dab in the middle of somewhere else. My Toshiba Satellite 2520CDS laptop (from 1999!) came with multiple rubbery heads for the thingy. Not sure why they needed spares, maybe they were subject to wear. So the head could be removed just by pulling on it. If you can remove the head on yours, maybe your fingers will stop tripping on it. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/16 "2012-08-31T10:14:04Z")
I dislike both the nubs and trackpads, and I typically have HPs, so I disable the touchpads and use a trackman trackball. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/17 "2012-08-31T10:36:37Z")
I’m giving the, er, tit a go here and it’s working fine. Pretty smooth in fact. I can see how it’s handy for when you’re typing. What I’m totally failing on, though, is how you click with it in a seamless manner. Can it be depressed to click itself, or do you use your thumbs to click the usual buttons by the trackpad? That would seem a hard thing to get used to (for me). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/18 "2012-09-01T01:42:02Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > I’m giving the, er, tit a go here and it’s working fine. Pretty smooth in fact. I can see how it’s handy for when you’re typing. What I’m totally failing on, though, is how you click with it in a seamless manner. Can it be depressed to click itself, or do you use your thumbs to click the usual buttons by the trackpad? That would seem a hard thing to get used to (for me). I’ve never had a computer that had both, but, yeah, the ones I had had the buttons down below keyboard which you, yes, clicked with your thumb. That’s also how trackpads worked. In fact, I always disable the tap to click feature on trackpads because that makes them too easy to click. Every time I try it, I get stray clicks. Also, someone else mentioned a problem with their thumb accidentally hitting their trackpad–you should be able to enable an option that disables the trackpad while you are typing in your Mouse settings. Personally, all I ever wanted to do with that mouse was use it as a joystick, and I could never find software that would let me do that, only the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/19 "2012-09-01T05:02:43Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > …or do you use your thumbs to click the usual buttons by the trackpad? Which model laptop do you have? On my ThinkPad, there are two sets of mouse buttons. The buttons in front of the trackpad are intended to be used with the trackpad. The buttons between the trackpad and keyboard are intended to be used with the TrackPoint. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180/20 "2013-02-07T03:32:30Z")
My mouse is already cok-free. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/button-on-laptop-keyboard-for-controlling-the-mouse/633180.md?page=2)