Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!davidsen
From: davidsen@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Mice - what do I want?
Message-ID: <10972@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 13 Aug 90 20:37:41 GMT
References: <15319@reed.UUCP>
Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 37

In article <15319@reed.UUCP> minar@reed.bitnet (Nelson Minar) 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?

  The reason most of us get a bus mouse is because we are out of serial
ports, having used them all for modems and printers and such-like. If I
didn't have a serial port at all (only if someone GAVE me a system) I
would order a serial port because it's useful for many other things than
the mouse.

  A used working serial board should run you $10-15, but for about
$35-40 you can get 2S+P boards using only one slot. Don't just think
about your needs today. On the other hand if you have some good reason
to know that you won't use the serial port, the bus mouse is cheaper.
| 
| Do bus mice work equally well in ATs and XTs? (I have an AT).

  Modulo any bugs in the driver, yes.

| Does a trackball mouse exist for the IBM?

  Logitech makes a very nice trackball mouse, I haven't used my new one
enough to decide if I like it or the moiuse better.

  And something you didn't ask: I suggest a three button mouse, because
X-windows is coming to PC's and DOS. The public domain server is
overdue, but it's coming, as is Desqview+X and a few other things. You
can always just use two buttons, but X on a two button mouse is pretty
grim, unless you have a real feel for mouse and shift this that and the
other thing.
-- 
	- bill davidsen (davidsen@crdgw1.crd.ge.com)
	GE Corp. R&D Center; Box 8, KW-C206; Schenectady NY 12345