dm@pnet01.CTS.COM (Dan Melson) (07/21/87)
I recently posted an inquiry to the net about track balls substituting for the
ST's mouse. I have since, through one means or another (e.g. catching up on
my magazine backlog) run down the addresses of two companies that purport to
make such a device.
Here they are:
E. Arthur Brown Company
3404 Pawnee Drive
Alexandria, MN, 56308
(612) 762-8847
Inquire about 'Mouse Ball'
Review quoted $29.95, gave it mediocre review
Zebra Systems
78-06 Jamaica Avenue
Woodhaven, NY 11421
(718) 296-2385
Inquire about 'Zebra trackball'
Review quoted $19.95, gave it excellent marks
I have inquiries out to both companies, and will post further results if
significant. I am not in any way affiliated with either.
DMF27FRAJP@CARLETON.BITNET (GEORGE FRAJKOR) (10/19/87)
A couple of people have asked about wiring a trackball to be a mouse for the ST and some have said it's hopeless. Not so. Zebra systems adverrtises such a trackball in Computer shopper-- it is a standard WICO trackball rewired to work like a mouse and it has two buttons corresponding to left and right mouse buttons. I have one and it works fine. Dragging is (pardon me) a real drag since you have to hold down one button while spinning a ball, but all other operations are faster and more covenient, and it takes less desk space. It costs about $30 US, so at that price it is hardly worth buyin a Wico and hand-wiring yourself. (as usual, I am no relative or stockholder of the Zebra people. Just a satisfied user).
wheels@mks.UUCP (10/21/87)
In article <8710192011.AA17632@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, F27FRAJP@CARLETON.BITNET (GEORGE FRAJKOR) writes: > ..... > it is a standard WICO trackball rewired to work like a mouse > and it has two buttons corresponding to left and right mouse > buttons. .... Dragging is (pardon me) > a real drag since you have to hold down one button while > spinning a ball, but all other operations are faster and I have done work on a computer used in the schools here, and it uses a trackball. It is built in to the keyboard (sort of) so it doesn't slide around the desk. It gets around the drag problem by having one of the buttons way on the other side of the keyboard. This way, you can press with your left hand, and roll with your right. Now, I'm left handed (almost ambidextrous), and find this is OK. How do right handed people feel about pressing a pseudo mouse button with the left hand? It's not really much different than typing with two hands. (You do type with two hands, don't you?) -- ll // // ,'/~~\' Gerry Wheeler {decvax,ihnp4}!watmath!mks!wheels /ll/// //l' `\\\ Mortice Kern Systems Inc. (519) 884-2251 / l //_// ll\___/ 43 Bridgeport Rd. E., Waterloo, ON, Can. N2J 2J4 O_/