Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!primerd!ENI!S55!CUMMINGS
From: CUMMINGS@S55.Prime.COM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Mice - what do I want?
Message-ID: <1249900002@S55.Prime.COM>
Date: 15 Aug 90 16:58:00 GMT
References: <15319@reed.UUCP>
Lines: 57
Nf-ID: #R:reed.UUCP:-1531900:S55:1249900002:000:2991
Nf-From: S55.Prime.COM!CUMMINGS    Aug 15 16:58:00 1990


/* Written 11:54 am  Aug  9, 1990 by minar@reed.UUCP in S55:comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware */
/* ---------- "Mice - what do I want?" ---------- */

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?

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

Do I need to worry about what sort of driver I get to go with the mouse? Are
they all the same?

Does a trackball mouse exist for the IBM?

How much should I pay?

Thank you.
/* End of text from S55:comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware */

I recently bought a new mouse for my PC.  I went with a Mouse Systems Optical
mouse, bus version.  Surprise!  Their "bus" mouse is their serial mouse with
a dedicated serial port (not using COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4).  For the $10
extra I spent on the "bus" version, the serial port was well worth it!  The
mouse came with a "dynamic tracking" driver, and configuration software to help
you find an unused interrupt on your machine.  It will try and use IRQ 3 or 4
unless you already have COM ports installed.  Then it avoids those, and tries
others.  The serial card can use some AT IRQ lines and thus is a "16 bit" card,
but it only uses 8 data lines, and if you limit yourself to the first 8 IRQ
lines, will run just fine in an XT machine.  I paid ~$100 for my new mouse,
but I knew I was also paying for a GOOD mouse.  (SUN and VISUAL are among the
corporations that use Mouse-Systems optical mice on their
workstations/X-Terminals).  The only problem I have with the MSM is that
while the CGA programming necessities are built into the mouse driver (all you
have to do is turn the cursor on), you can't write EGA/VGA code that uses the
mouse without buying the MSM developers package. (My understanding is that
programs which use the mouse in EGA/VGA modes need to keep track of some screen
information that is write-only in the adapter, thus the need for extra
software).  The hooks to use the libraries is in the mouse driver already
(I have no problem running EGA/VGA programs that support the MS mouse
with the MSM mouse driver), you just can't write your own programs without
the extra package.

============================================================================
Kevin J. Cummings                       Prime Computer Inc.
20 Briarwood Road                       500 Old Connecticut Path
Framingham, Mass.                       Framingham, Mass.

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Std. Disclaimer: "Mr. McKittrick, after careful consideration, I've come
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