Trackballs

They any good?

[monkeythumpa]

Like Macs, people who use trackballs swear by them. How long does it take to make the switch from a mouse and become proficient enough for the tiny tweaks Illustrator requires with a trackball?

[supermanjnk]

Personally I hate trackballs, i've used them and I find them highly annoying.

[victor]

These things are highly subjective...Either you are a trackball person or you are not.

I simply don't have room on the desk for a mouse. (The trackball sits on my lap).

Don't know about Illustrator, but I can do everthing I need with a trackball.

You do need to keep them cleaner than a mouse -- daily gunge build-up can make them awkward to move as the friction licks in....Remember, your greasy thumb is in direct contact with the moving part.

I had to change brand recently -- owning to the old trackball dying. Took me about 3 days to get used to the new one (there is less of a standard layout for buttons with a trackball).

[Hawkgirl]

Hello. My name is Hawkgirl. I am a trackball addict.

In my experience, it takes about 2 weeks for full mouse-to-trackball switch or vice versa. You can get relatively comfortable in a few hours, but the precision dexterity takes a while. Once your muscles learn what to do, though, you'll be fine. You stop having to *think* about what you're doing in a pretty short amount of time.

And for me, it's worth it. Better control, less movement of my hand/wrist, and comfort.

[Matt Probert]

Trackballs are great for playing "Centipede" (er, okay so I'm old....I'll just shuffle off and get my pipe and slippers...)

Matt

[choster]

There are different species of trackball-- the kind you move with your palm, the kind you move with your second and third fingers, and the kind you move with your thumb. I have a thumb trackball; the position of the hand is similar to using a mouse (e.g. you use the same fingers to click the buttons or scroll as you would a mouse), and it only took about a day to adjust. Besides offerin the most control (as my thumb dexterity is far greater than my middle finger, or for that matter my arm), I also like it because it requires the least wrist movement, an oft-touted advantage of trackballs (vis-a-vis carpal tunnel syndrome). I don't like the big palm ones, and in fact it's been so long since I've seen anyone use one it's possible they're not even manufactured any more.