# Track Ball vs. Traditional Mouse **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 8, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604 "2024-03-08T13:00:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/41 "2024-03-08T18:32:35Z")
I’ve used a Logitech trackball for a long time, at least 20 years. I love it, and would hate to go back to a mouse. I don’t understand the comment that it’s less accurate than a mouse; to me a trackball is FAR more accurate than a mouse. Make a small movement by pushing a ball a few millimeters with your thumb is much easier than trying to drag a huge (by comparison) blocky mouse around the desk. Just the inertia alone makes moving the mouse less accurate. I guess it does take some getting used to. On the rare occasion when my wife tries to use my trackball she awkwardly moves the ball with her index finger and then repositions her index finger on the button to click. I keep reminding her that it’s easier to move the ball with her thumb but I guess it’s just too foreign to assimilate without repeated use. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/42 "2024-03-08T18:33:51Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > sliding a mouse all over your desk I use a patch of real estate not much bigger than the mouse itself. Far, far smaller than even a small mousepad. Needing to slide the mouse all over the place is an issue with its sensitivity setting, not with the device itself. I just spent a bit of time staring at my desk and I don’t actually move my hand at all. I rest the base of my palm on the edge of the desk and mostly move the mouse with small adjustments of my thumb and index finger against its sides. For larger movements I might turn my wrist, but the mouse never leaves the space that I can reach with my palm fully anchored. For very large lateral movements, like one monitor to another, I lift the mouse briefly to reposition. But my second monitor is largely for display rather than for things that need manipulation. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/43 "2024-03-08T18:34:58Z")
I switched to trackballs when I started having pain and numbness in my wrist. I still prefer them, and use one on one of my PCs at home, I’ve switched to an upright mouse because I do not have to clean them. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/44 "2024-03-08T18:49:25Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just the inertia alone makes moving the mouse less accurate. Yes, and if your desk is uneven in texture, or if the friction resistance isn’t consistent, it is very frustrating because the mouse sticks and jerks. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/45 "2024-03-08T18:58:04Z")
People still use mice with balls? (No smirking, please). Laser mice had all the benefits and none of the downsides, and were my favorite until I became a dedicated trackpad devotee. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/46 "2024-03-08T19:00:12Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > People still use mice with balls? (No smirking, please). I was using a laser mouse, which means the entire bottom of the mouse was sliding on my desk. That made the problem of stickiness worse. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/47 "2024-03-08T19:01:13Z")
There are generally replaceable Teflon pads to fix that issue. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/48 "2024-03-08T19:09:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > For very large lateral movements, like one monitor to another, I lift the mouse briefly to reposition. Ugh, running out of room and needing to lift the mouse to reposition it drives me crazy. That obviously never happens with a trackball. ETA: well actually something similar does, if you move your thumb all the way to the right or left, but the solution is to just lift your thumb off the ball and put it back down, rather than picking up a 2 ounce mouse and finding a place to put it back down, taking your attention off the screen. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/49 "2024-03-08T19:26:01Z")
Now whenever you see an orange or that painting, you will think ‘Track-Ball’. Sorry > [@TriPolar](#): > > Optical mice on a special pad with a grid of colored reflective lines became popular for a while as the cost was initially much lower than a mechanical device Yeah. Had one that had to have a special ‘mouse pad’. Unix machine at the time. Not sure who invented the two wheeled mouse (probably connected to Apple). Those wheels just got moved into the mouse itself. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Various non-mechanical means were developed using a special pad with a grid of embedded wires, using capacitive coupling to detect the position on the grid I believe. Yeah digitize tables and pads that could also pick up commands from the puck/mouse. And each table (not the pad itself) had an area where an 8x11 sheet of paper was taped down to the actuall table that the puck could pick up commands to lay down a certain feature on a map. That could be changed based on the project. At the time I was mapping telephone lines. The base maps (I think it was Tiger 🤮) sucked in 1988. And the paper maps where not to scale. So the digitizing was really trying to figure out what goes where, because nothing was to scale. Really we worked off of a schematic. It was called AM/FM back then. The acronym GIS was not invented/used. AM/FM was for Automated Mapping and Facilities Management. I ended up to be the trainer for new folks, so I wrote a training manual to just be able to use these giant Intergraph workstations. I was alowed to go into the administrative offices to use a computer to write it up. That’s where I discovered that I hate Apple computers. What a long strange trip it’s been 🎵 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/50 "2024-03-08T19:30:25Z")
Well, my Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball will be arriving tomorrow! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/51 "2024-03-08T19:33:21Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Ugh, running out of room and needing to lift the mouse to reposition it drives me crazy. Lifting up a mouse and putting it down somewhere else will leave the cursor on screen just where it started. Look into Windows mouse settings. But maybe I misunderstand. I have my mouse in an area that is free of other things. Ocasionaly. I need to move it because I’m taking notes about the day/project/problem. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/52 "2024-03-08T19:35:10Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Not sure who invented the two wheeled mouse (probably connected to Apple). Way before Apple. Sometime in the 60s at the [Augmentation Research Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmentation_Research_Center). The mouse concept was adopted by the Palo Alto Research Center and integral in their Alto computer and other configurations that heavily influenced the common personal computer concept we have now. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/53 "2024-03-08T19:37:24Z")
Cool, I remember a video about it from long ago. It started out as a small square box with the two wheels under it if I recall. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/54 "2024-03-08T19:37:57Z")
About this big. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Atari_Football_Poster.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Atari_Football_Poster.png) Note the 4.5" diameter trackball on the right side of the console. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/55 "2024-03-08T20:02:35Z")
Been using trackballs for over 30 years. A few long days with a mouse makes my hand/wrist ache. I can go 3 times as long with a trackball. Here’s a [private trackball review site](https://www.trackballmouse.org/) run by an aficionado. Started with the [Logitech Marble](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-910-000808-Marble-Mouse/dp/B001DQY9AW/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5V31SDz5XNFeYNeKUwuXCadm1dYL0kmN31dPyL-dbOMO0aJXvWxILNte1dzYxoTiCM8fGMI4VWjnTiVNZn6v1ZcC7TumrgEXp06EF3Wc5Lp_eMBwJFU9VoU79Rl05sqtmwkMalSen82D0Q1Rlq1jPn6vFwlsm5ZRhw36_WRszcFAdkPysbaIq4CGLjR1wRfsQtTmegkg26sboyXarr5-q7kNWtJ7ivLiEl1XA8l5YRj-vMVVTWRvT7HONC5YEt9i_UpsycFajXybdU529Q7O2BQJgZ9MN_TSaxW71aGFH0c.GmmkuoPs26WQ1qvSLyj4ahF6G-EMLMdW01-LRpGWiM0&dib_tag=se&keywords=logitech%2Bmarble&qid=1709928203&s=electronics&sr=1-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0&th=1) — the VW Beetle of trackballs — which was both cheap and (for me) the most comfortable. Always preferred fingertip trackballs to thumb trackballs. Marbles had a lifespan under five years, so I’ve owned plenty. When scroll wheels became big the Marble tried to adapt by including a button that could be programmed to scroll. It wasn’t as good as a real scroll wheel (just one speed), but I was happy to have it. Logitech finally discontinued the Marble, and the only ones still offered on Amazon are from collectors. $200. I still hope Logitech will release an update. I’ve switched to the [Kensington Orbit with Scroll Wheel](https://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Orbit-Trackball-Scroll-K72337US/dp/B002OOWB3O/ref=sr_1_22?crid=3VVP9C15X5CFR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5V31SDz5XNFeYNeKUwuXCadm1dYL0kmN31dPyL-dbOMO0aJXvWxILNte1dzYxoTiCM8fGMI4VWjnTiVNZn6v1ZcC7TumrgEXp06EF3Wc5Lp_eMBwJFU9VoU79Rl05sqtmwkMalSen82D0Q1Rlq1jPn6vFwlsm5ZRhw36_WRszcFAdkPysbaIq4CGLjR1wRfsQtTmegkg26sboyXarr5-q7kNWtJ7ivLiEl1XA8l5YRj-vMVVTWRvT7HONC5YEt9iYFWC6d5kahbrQ_vN_kMjCpZ2_xihX61EWQDyc6gbW9s.Buxl3H0oAJ1FUIN9Il2wtVwmWM4Wf5nLLf_MYC_VQ0I&dib_tag=se&keywords=logitech%2Bmarble&qid=1709927311&s=electronics&sprefix=logitech%2Bmarblw%2Celectronics%2C190&sr=1-22&th=1), which has a nice rotating scroll collar around the ball. It’s fine, and the scroll is good, but compared to the Marble it’s big, ugly and less comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/56 "2024-03-08T20:13:07Z")
Yeah, there was a mouse used in the [Mother of All Demos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos) in 1968, almost a decade before Apple was founded. The project that led to that demo was probably where the mouse was invented. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/57 "2024-03-08T20:16:03Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > Always preferred fingertip trackballs to thumb trackballs. Yep, me too! Besides, I can’t shoot zombies with my thumb (left click) and navigate the ball with my thumb at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/58 "2024-03-08T20:26:13Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Yeah, there was a mouse used in the [Mother of All Demos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos) in 1968, almost a decade before Apple was founded. The project that led to that demo was probably where the mouse was invented. 😃 I realize now that 1968 seemed to be “way before Apple” back when I was only 20 and first encountered Apple in 1976. Now, 8 years is just a little while ago. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/59 "2024-03-08T20:26:50Z")
Here’s an old Logitech one that I had, where the ball was larger and you could grip it between your thumb and fingers. [https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/34202g/logitech\_trackman\_marble\_fx\_been\_using\_since\_1998/](https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/34202g/logitech_trackman_marble_fx_been_using_since_1998/) I guess I was the only one who liked that one. The Kensington old-school track ball was my favorite though, so I ordered the latest Kensington one, in hopes that it matches my fond memories. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604/60 "2024-03-08T20:28:34Z")
Wow, I’ve never seen that model before! Looks like you can work it from the top (fingers) or the side (thumb) or both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/track-ball-vs-traditional-mouse/998604.md?page=4)