# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 302
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6410 "2026-02-10T19:24:26Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > For background, button mice (also sometimes called a “pointing stick” or, ugh, “nipple mouse”) used to be something that laptops had in the middle of the keyboard. Believe it or not, laptops didn’t always have touchpads. Oh, is that what you mean by “button mouse”. I’ve never heard it called that. I’ve heard “pointing stick”, “erasor head”, “pointing nipple”, and “clit”, and variants along those lines. I’ve never heard anyone call it any form of “mouse”. Yeah, one of my first work laptops had that, and no touch pad. I developed serious ergonomic issues, and got a a USB touch pad as a replacement. And I’ve never looked back. > [@Atamasama](#): > > You would push that little green nub up to move the mouse up, down, to make it go down, left, right, etc. It was like a tiny joystick. You could not control how fast it moved, so precision was extremely difficult. The buttons beneath the keyboard served as mouse buttons. You certainly could control how fast it went, by how hard you pushed. In terms of raw precision, it was probably the best pointing device I’ve ever had. If only it hadn’t caused pain. But it was awesome. I could select a point very precisely, and also, never run out of space to keep moving it. What I’ve learned from this discussion is that your arm coordination is much better than your finger coordination. I’m the reverse. It’s because i tend to attempt to move my mouse with my hand, not my arm (because my fine motor coordination is _much_ better than my gross motor coordination) that i get cramps from using a mouse too long. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6411 "2026-02-10T19:29:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You certainly could control how fast it went, by how hard you pushed. To an extent, yes. They were analog, and you could move it faster and slower, but it was very subtle. There was very little fine control. I shouldn’t say you can’t control the speed _at all_, but it was difficult. A full-size modern joystick, for example, has a reasonable amount of control. Those little nubs just couldn’t move that far (by design so that they used very little space), so there was almost no precision. I remember it always felt like the cursor was moving on ice. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > What I’ve learned from this discussion is that your arm coordination is much better than your finger coordination. I’m the reverse. It’s because i tend to attempt to move my mouse with my hand, not my arm (because my fine motor coordination is _much_ better than my gross motor coordination) that i get cramps from using a mouse too long. That’s totally valid. As I said before, ergonomics are going to vary a lot from person to person. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6412 "2026-02-10T19:37:51Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Those little nubs just couldn’t move that far (by design so that they used very little space), so there was almost no precision. I remember it always felt like the cursor was moving on ice. I missed the precision when i had to give it up. Ymmv. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6413 "2026-02-10T19:39:31Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Ymmv. Absolutely the truth! ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6414 "2026-02-10T19:43:57Z")
I keep seeing this thread with 20 or 30 new posts and open it expecting to see some juicy board drama, only to keep finding everyone still talking about mice vs. touchpads. What are you people thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6415 "2026-02-10T19:57:49Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > As something to use when a mouse isn’t available, it’s great. Again, for the third time, they replaced button mice. I’ve got one of those jobbers on my school laptop. When I’m outside doing dismissal duty, kids regularly ask me what that little red button does. I explain that this is both my computer and my car, and pressing that button transforms it into my car so I can drive home. Their looks of pensive suspicion are what I live for. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6416 "2026-02-10T20:00:01Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > When I’m outside doing dismissal duty, kids regularly ask me what that little red button does. I explain that this is both my computer and my car, and pressing that button transforms it into my car so I can drive home. > > Their looks of pensive suspicion are what I live for. I don’t know if you need a Transformers sound effect, or “Go Go Gadget Laptop!”, but that’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6417 "2026-02-10T20:00:04Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Their looks of pensive suspicion are what I live for. There are not a lot of things that could persuade me to be a full time teacher. But pranking the young ones for their reactions would probably be a biggee. Good on ya; I bet that’s priceless cute to see. ETA: simulpost w @kenobi_65 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6418 "2026-02-10T20:10:40Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I never claimed that touchpads will replace mice. I claimed that they aren’t “pieces of shit”, they aren’t “a tool of last resort”, and they aren’t “awful” as a complete replacement of mice, I can’t stand touchpads for writing, answering emails, etc - they drive me totally nuts. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > except in some activities (like gaming) where a controller is almost universally preferred to a mouse. Say what? A controller is only preferred to a mouse for racing and dogfighting games (and then a joystick is preferred as I understand it). The main reason that shooters don’t tend to be cross platform is that mice would out compete controllers to a ridiculous degree. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6419 "2026-02-10T20:21:13Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I keep seeing this thread with 20 or 30 new posts and open it expecting to see some juicy board drama, only to keep finding everyone still talking about mice vs. touchpads. > > What are you people thinking? I’m thinking that this is an interesting discussion, we are in the pit, and the thread is still here for when we need it for its primary purpose. Oh, and “someone is wrong on the Internet”. 😉 ---
**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:** [February 10, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6420 "2026-02-10T20:24:58Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > A controller is only preferred to a mouse for racing and dogfighting games (and then a joystick is preferred as I understand it). There are any number of games that are best on controller and quite a lot more that fall firmly into YMMV; mouse/keyboard is definitely not a universal preference for all games. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6421 "2026-02-10T20:25:42Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > …dogfighting games… Genuinely thought you were being spicy about Pokemon until I realized you meant airplanes. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6422 "2026-02-10T20:30:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > mouse/keyboard is definitely not a universal preference for all games. I still vastly prefer a joystick for a flight simulator. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6423 "2026-02-10T20:35:36Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > …dogfighting games… > > Genuinely thought you were being spicy about Pokemon until I realized you meant airplanes. Pokemon is so much more than a dogfighting game! It lets you pit _all kinds_ of animals against each other! It’s great. > [@Atamasama](#): > > I still vastly prefer a joystick for a flight simulator I guess I should have said “flight simulator”, I forget that there are games where you’re flying a plane _without_ shooting anyone else down 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6424 "2026-02-10T20:37:36Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I forget that there are games where you’re flying a plane _without_ shooting anyone else down 😉 I consider it a flight simulator whether you are shooting folks or not. Most of the time I play a game like that, there _is_ combat involved, because it’s more fun. But not always. Something like “Microsoft Flight Simulator” or a game like “Wing Commander” or “X-Wing vs TIE Fighter” is a flight simulator to me. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6425 "2026-02-10T20:41:17Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Pokemon is so much more than a dogfighting game! It lets you pit _all kinds_ of animals against each other! It’s great. My first job in the game industry, we had a “wall of shame” where we posted the more… interesting correspondences we got from our fans. The two that stood out were a resume from a gentleman who was very invested in his musical hobby, and also persistently misjudged how many “p’s” are in “rapping,” and an _extremely_ detailed game design doc for a GTA/Pokemon mashup built around illegal dog-fighting rings. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6426 "2026-02-10T20:44:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > and an _extremely_ detailed game design doc for a GTA/Pokemon mashup built around illegal dog-fighting rings. Clearly the superior mashup would be a turn based tactical strategy game where you order squads of Pokemon in combat against one another. XCOM style combat with different pokemon having different special abilities. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6427 "2026-02-10T20:45:54Z")
Hmm. This reminds me of the time i watched a cock fight. It wasn’t something arranged by people, it was just two wild roosters in Hawaii fighting for dominance. It was spell binding, and i understood why people want to watch it. Also, because it was just two wild birds, with no bits of metal attached to them, neither was seriously injured. The loser admitted defeat and flew off in shame. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6428 "2026-02-10T20:49:37Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Clearly the superior mashup would be a turn based tactical strategy game where you order squads of Pokemon in combat against one another. XCOM style combat with different pokemon having different special abilities. That doesn’t really work as a joke game, because it sounds legitimately awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/6429 "2026-02-10T20:50:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What I’ve learned from this discussion is that your arm coordination is much better than your finger coordination. I’m the reverse. It’s because i tend to attempt to move my mouse with my hand, not my arm (because my fine motor coordination is _much_ better than my gross motor coordination) that i get cramps from using a mouse too long. I move my mouse with my fingers. My arm and wrist are completely motionless when I’m using a mouse, and only my fingertips are touching it. It’s probably the least fatiguing thing you can do with your hand. You need one of those gel cushions, though, and have to set your mouse sensitivity very high so you can cover the entire screen without shifting your hand. Precision takes some practice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=301) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=303)