Best Mouse For Programming? 569
LosManos writes "Which is the best programming mouse? Mandatory musts are wireless, and that it doesn't clog up like old mechanical mice. Present personal preferences are for: lots of buttons, since if I have moved my hand away from the keyboard I can at least do something more than move the pointer; sturdy feeling; not too light, so it doesn't move around by me accidentally looking at it." What would you recommend?
KVM? (Score:4, Interesting)
I've found most KVMs make it so my wireless input devices don't work. :(
IBM Trackpoint (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Mouse? (Score:3, Interesting)
Hazaa!
My preference is actually to corded laser mice. I've had a couple cordless ones and they always felt too heavy for my tastes. And when the batteries start to go it's always frustrating to have to stop whatever I am doing to go find fresh ones. I also happen to prefer the five button mice, the mouse-wheel button rarely ever gets used but at times it's made for a great "boss button".
At the risk of being modded into oblivion... (Score:3, Interesting)
the mouse I use for programming is an older variant of this one. I've been quite happy with it. scroll wheel has nice feedback for flipping thru code, it's heavy and has a nice solid feel.
I am in no way affiliated with logitech, I just like their stuff.
Re:Why wireless? (Score:2, Interesting)
I made my mind up about wired/wireless things a while back, and went with wired. For the sake of a single cable, I don't have to worry about recharging things, or buying batteries, and all that wankery. It just works. It sits there. Hell, it plugs into the USB hub on the keyboard, or the USB hub on the monitor. I've never had programming issues with a wired mouse. Mostly because I know a couple of keyboard shortcuts in the software I use...
You're better off getting a keyboard without a numberpad, so that the mouse is closer to your right hand when you are typing and switching to the mouse. Numberpads should be on the left side of the keyboard, for this reason (for right handed people). Take Excel - left hand - numberpad for numbers, right hand mouse or cursors for moving. Sorted.
Best mouse operation for programming (Score:4, Interesting)
Howdy.
While taste in mice and features vary, one thing I would vouch for, if you're right handed and have a full keyboard, is to learn to use your mouse with your left hand. I worked with Gene Korienek [whenpeoplethink.com] in the early 1990s and we discussed how to optimize mouse motion. Since the page navigation, Return key, and numeric pad are all on your right side, using your mouse with your left hand will make you more effective for some activities such as using spreadsheets, Photoshop, web surfing, etc. I went "mouse southpaw" since then -- super-comfortable.
Now... for programming I use MacVim and a number of plug-ins and extensions. When I'm programming, unless it's something that's got a GUI or it's iPhone/Mac specific, I seldom use the mouse. One of the biggest advantages of using a keyboard instead of a mouse is sensory memory. There are actions in Vim (and possibly TextMate, emacs, etc.) that you can execute automatically, without thinking about the exact key press sequence, and without having to lift your hands off the keyboard. Check into any of these editors, add the appropriate plug-ins (e.g. "UNIX is my IDE") and see what works best for you. I went from keyboard-only (TurboPascal, Turbo C, vi/UNIX) to GUI IDE (Smalltalk/V, Symantec Cafe, Visual Studio, IDEA) back to keyboard-only for most programming tasks. Now my coding is split between keyboard-only (scripting, Java, C, assembler) and GUI/mouse for only a few environments that leave you no other option (Xcode/Interface Builder).
Cheers!
E
Evoluent Vertical Mouse (Score:2, Interesting)
If you have to use a mouse, it might as well be one that isn't going to destroy your wrist.
It might clash with your stereotypical clicky keyboard [wikipedia.org] but it'll fit right in with that ergonomic keyboard that you actually use.
Re:Are you bored? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Why wireless? (Score:3, Interesting)
You guys are arguing like this is a boolean issue. It's not. I use corded mice for my desktops, and a Bluetooth mouse for my laptop. Both work flawlessly for me in each environment. The Bluetooth mouse is lighter and smaller than either of my corded mice (almost too light, as I prefer a bit of inertial feedback.) I've never had a reception issue with the Bluetooth mouse, and I've had it for over six months and have not had to change the batteries.
As for wired, cord routing isn't really a problem if you deal with it correctly. I use a binder clip with about a foot of free play between it and the mouse, and it's never been an issue since. And I do like the look of a lit-up mouse, which I can't get with a wireless mouse. (A glowing, battery-sucking mouse doesn't make much sense.)
Seriously, it's not worth getting all defensive over. There are easy solutions to the corded mouse problems. And spending about $40-$50 can get you a very reliable, very precise Bluetooth mouse. Paying $9.99 for a cheap-ass cordless mouse out of the bargain bin at Micro Center is going to set you up for serious disappointment. And I've found that paying $9.99 for a cheap-ass corded mouse can give me hand cramps. Don't be a cheap-ass and you won't have the problems.
Re:3M Ergonomic Mouse (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm rather fond of this one:
http://www.amazon.com/3M-EM500GPL-Ergonomic-Mouse-EM500GPLLARGE/dp/B00008KWWF [amazon.com]
It has a couple of benefits over the EVM:
1) it has a base that your hand can rest on.
2) the main buttons are thumb-activated, which is good if you were getting pain from finger movement.
The main disadvantage is the lack of a scroll wheel, but I've gotten so used to button scrolling that I don't find this to be a problem.
A mouse is a very personal thing, and a new one typically takes some getting used to. Some people will like it, others will not.
p.s. They have a wireless version too now, apparently.
Re:At the risk of being modded into oblivion... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Huh? WTF is a programming mouse? (Score:2, Interesting)
Selecting menu options is a big one: how much faster it is to type "CTRL-s" rather than moving the mouse to the "Edit" menu, clicking, moving the mouse to "Search" and clicking again. Not a big deal for casual web browsing, but if you're doing hundreds (thousands?) of searches every day it adds up.
Navigating (scroll wheel or scroll bar) is another mouse thing. Using search (from the keyboard shortcut) can usually make scrolling unnecessary. How much productivity is wasted every day by people scrolling through a code listing, searching visually for a specific string that could be located in less than 1 second with a search.
A few years ago I removed the menus and scrollbar from Emacs and would leave my mouse upside down so that it was inconvenient to use. After getting used to how fast everything could be done, it's painful to work "over the shoulder" with most other coders (everyone else where I work uses Eclipse and frequently resorts to mouse usage.)
Re:Mouse? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Huh? WTF is a programming mouse? (Score:3, Interesting)
I love my mouse. I play starcraft and it's great for that, and I customize it and make it do a lot of stuff. But some of the things on your list, I just couldn't let slide:
- scroll bars in programming are totally useless. Page Up / Page Down, various shortcuts in vim and Emacs make them basically obsolete. Interactive search and proper knowledge of navigation techniques including setting bookmarks in your code is WAAAY more efficient than scrolling
- select for cut/copy and paste. Try learning VIM, seriously.
- menu options. This is my biggest objection. Shortcuts!! In well designed menus they're listed right next to the menu item
- setting and going to bookmarks - firefox has a great way of handling this. You add keywords to your bookmarks and then just type them in. I got $10 that says I can Ctrl+L + + Enter faster than you can click on your bookmarks