Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!decwrl!sun-barr!newstop!sun!amdahl!netcom!ergo
From: ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Mice - what do I want?
Message-ID: <11695@netcom.UUCP>
Date: 9 Aug 90 15:49:27 GMT
References: <15319@reed.UUCP>
Reply-To: ergo@netcom.uucp
Organization: UESPA
Lines: 56

In <15319@reed.UUCP> minar@reed.bitnet (Nelson Minar,L08,x640,7776519) writes:


>I am a little bewildered at the choice of mice out there.  Foremost, what is
>the difference between a bus mouse and a serial mouse? One assumes that a bus
>mouse plugs into the bus (with its own adapter), while a serial mouse plugs
>into a serial port.  Seeing as how I do not own a serial port, why should I 
>not get a bus mouse?
You've got it right.  I've been contemplating the purchase of a mouse
too, and like you I've no serial port to spare.  I *had* been pretty
sure I wanted a bus mouse, but than I realized that i/o boards had
gotten pretty cheap.  Since bus mice cost more than serial mice, I
could buy a two-port board and a serial mouse for maybe $10 more than
a bus mouse.  That'd leave me more flexibility (use the mouse with a
laptop, take it to work, etc.) and also leave me a serial port to
spare.

>Do bus mice work equally well in ATs and XTs? (I have an AT).

It's difficult to see why there would be any difference for a mouse.
I've certainly not heard of any.
>Do I need to worry about what sort of driver I get to go with the mouse? Are
>they all the same?
There certainly are.  Some are bigger than others, some hook different
interrupts (which might be important if you have TSRs or other
software that hook the same interrupts), some have fancy features
(like "ballistic tracking", which supposedly cuts down on hand
motion), and some do a better job of emulating Microsoft's mouse than
others, which is damn important.

I'm not an expert, I just got the above from the August issue of PC
Magazine, which has a comprehensive (though maybe a little
superficial) survey of 58 mice, trackballs, and light pens.  It also
has a pretty good explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of
each kind of pointer, and of what makes a good, ergonomic trackball.

>Does a trackball mouse exist for the IBM?
It does now.  Took the mice makers a long time to get round to it.
>How much should I pay?
It depends on which one you buy.  There's a nice little
mouse/digitizer tablet that goes for $200; very nice if you're into
CAD.  At the other end, if you have simple needs and shop around, you
could possibly pay $30, though $50 is probably more realistic.  I want
a three-button trackball (I'm into Smalltalk V), so I'll probably end
up paying $90.

>Thank you.
You're welcome!
-- 

ergo@netcom.uucp			Isaac Rabinovitch
atina!pyramid!apple!netcom!ergo		Silicon Valley, CA
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	"I hate quotations.  Tell me what you know!"
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