# Do you reguarly/constantly use your mouse scroll wheel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030 "2009-06-07T19:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/1 "2009-06-07T19:34:12Z")
What I mean is, do you use it enough to where if it broke, you’d need to get a new mouse even though the buttons still worked and the arrow still tracked? I would. I use the scroller so much in a day, it’s like a third arm to me. Even when it’s broken (which it just did right now–after two years of constant, daily use) I’m in such a habit of using it that I forget it’s broken and try scrolling every few minutes–like I’m thinking it’s going to work. I do this before I remember “Oh yeah, it doesn’t work anymore” So my question is, do you use your mouse wheel scroll that often or–if it stopped working–could you still carry on using the same mouse (as long as everything else worked)? ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/2 "2009-06-07T19:47:50Z")
Yeah I’d get a new mouse. I use it to scroll through text on almost every text heavy program, I have it programed to “shoot” while playing counter strike, and it zooms in and out when you press “ctrl” + scroll in Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/3 "2009-06-07T19:48:53Z")
Yes I do. No I could not. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/4 "2009-06-07T19:49:18Z")
Hm… that’s actually a really good question, as I’m not sure which would win in a fight between my overwhelming laziness (can’t be bothered to click on the scroll bar or push the arrow buttons) and my near-crippling levels of frugality. I would probably procrastinate until my husband bought a new one. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/5 "2009-06-07T19:49:35Z")
I use it a lot when browsing the web. For other things, I tend to use the keyboard a lot more, but web browsing using the keyboard sucks. On my macbook, I use the two-finger scrolling technique on the touch pad so much that it’s completely frustrating to use any of my other portables. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/6 "2009-06-07T19:55:17Z")
> [@iftheresaway](#): > > Hm… that’s actually a really good question, as I’m not sure which would win in a fight between my overwhelming laziness (can’t be bothered to click on the scroll bar or push the arrow buttons) and my near-crippling levels of frugality. I would probably procrastinate until my husband bought a new one. A decent mouse won’t cost more than a couple of bucks. I bought [my cheap ass logitech mouse](http://www.directron.com/msbf96.html) after trying a whole bunch of mice at the local computer shop to find one with a decent feel. Seriously, try them out - some mice have scroll wheels that have heavy “clicks” when you turn them, and if I use those for a couple of hours my finger starts to really hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/7 "2009-06-07T20:00:09Z")
I was using my brother’s computer to surf the web several years ago and his mouse didn’t have a scroll wheel. It drove me absolutely nuts. I only used it for a few minutes and I was constantly complaining to him about it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/8 "2009-06-07T20:07:35Z")
I try to use the mouse (and trackpad) as little as possible. I can’t recall the last time I touched a scroll wheel; mine could easily be broken and I’d never notice. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/9 "2009-06-07T20:11:44Z")
I’d replace it right away.It’s faster to use the wheel to scroll and I click the wheel to open links in new tabs(Firefox). ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/10 "2009-06-07T20:25:04Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > I was using my brother’s computer to surf the web several years ago and his mouse didn’t have a scroll wheel. It drove me absolutely nuts. I only used it for a few minutes and I was constantly complaining to him about it. Same here. I used a neighbor’s computer for something once and I couldn’t get over not having that scroll wheel there. It actually felt WEIRD not to have it there and I found I couldn’t use his computer very long. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/11 "2009-06-07T21:01:39Z")
Would be annoying without it. ---
**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/12 "2009-06-07T21:20:53Z")
I manage to get by without the scroll wheel on my laptop–which instead has a little scroll strip at the side that my wrists are pretty close to when I type, so the screen used to jump around before I turned the strip off. This said, I think it’s very useful on my desktop mouse. I have some funky-looking Microsoft mouse with a nice wide scroll-wheel that turns very easily but is nice and clicky when you spin it. So. Scroll wheel = important. For _scrolling_. Maxis’ _Spore_ OTOH is so deeply enamoured of it my scrolling finger disintegrated. It just crumbled to dust before my eyes. Now I only have nine fingers, so I can’t hit the vowels in the upper-right of the keyboard. Or flip people off. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/13 "2009-06-07T22:08:50Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > What I mean is, do you use it enough to where if it broke, you’d need to get a new mouse even though the buttons still worked and the arrow still tracked? Yes…that was one of two frustrations with my last mouse - the other being that it was wireless and ate batteries like Skittles. It had a scroll wheel, and it…usually worked. On the other hand, sometimes it decided to scroll the way opposite to the way I was scrolling. Frustrating as hell. My current mouse is much, much nicer. I also use the ‘centre click’ function in a bunch of different apps. Losing that would kill me. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/14 "2009-06-07T22:12:03Z")
Couldn’t live without it. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/15 "2009-06-07T22:29:20Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > I also use the ‘centre click’ function in a bunch of different apps. Losing that would kill me. I am addicted to my mouse, and the center click is the _jump off!_ I need that to open up tabs and stuff, so that I don’t have a whole 'nother page popping up everytime I wanna click a link. Having no mouse is unacceptable. Unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/16 "2009-06-08T01:32:56Z")
Love the scroll wheel, wouldn’t be happy without it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/17 "2009-06-08T02:08:48Z")
I never use a mouse scroll wheel. I don’t use a mouse at all, but the tablet I do use does have a scroll wheel. Well, one of them does, the older tablet I use on my second computer doesn’t, but the irritating, excessively buttoned, keyboard for it does… Anyways, my point is, I don’t use it, and am kind of frustrated that it’s assumed by newer software that I ought to have a middle button and/or scroll wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/18 "2009-06-08T03:02:00Z")
My name is Czarcasm, and I’m a scrollaholic. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/19 "2009-06-08T03:10:44Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > What I mean is, do you use it enough to where if it broke, you’d need to get a new mouse even though the buttons still worked and the arrow still tracked? Every mouse I’ve ever replaced has been due to scroll wheel failure. It’s always the first thing to go ( and far too quickly ). First getting “sticky” and slowing, then failing altogether. Among other things, that’s also why I dislike laptops - I loath touch pads. I’d have to get a mouse for them to be comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030/20 "2009-06-08T04:22:03Z")
Not only can I not live w/o a scroll wheel, my mouse has back and forward buttons for web pages. My mouse is also a huge, ergonomic behemoth. Can’t live w/o out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-reguarly-constantly-use-your-mouse-scroll-wheel/499030.md?page=2)