Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ra!Isis.MsState.Edu!bmo1 From: bmo1@Isis.MsState.Edu (CrayDeath) Newsgroups: comp.human-factors Subject: Re: Track ball on a keyboard? Message-ID: Date: 12 Jun 91 21:27:07 GMT References: <2909@sumax.seattleu.edu> <1991Jun12.181324.12617@den.mmc.com> <1991Jun12.202144.12527@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Sender: usenet@ra.MsState.Edu Distribution: na Lines: 32 Nntp-Posting-Host: isis-gw.msstate.edu mig@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Meir) writes: >In article yee@osf.org (Michael K. Yee) writes: >> Yeah, you're right. In zero-gravity, the ball in a mouse would also >> float. >Why? It seems to me that the entire mouse would float, not the ball by itself. >Of course, that would not be a problem if you were using it. The pressure from >one's hand would force the mouse against the mouse pad. Remember that the mouse ball is smaller than the cavity, and would float around within the cavity, and therefore not necessarily make good contact with the mouse pad, roller sensors, etc. The mouse I have on my desk (a standard Apple Mac mouse) would not work well in a zero-G environment, as I can demonstrate by turning it upside-down. First, the ball drops down completely within the case, so that the bottom (or, now, top) of the muse ball is lower than the bottom (at leat when it's right-side-up) surface of the mouse. Therefore, when the ball is in this position relative to the cavity, it would make no contact with the pad. Also, the ball is now resting against some part of the cavity so that it can't roll like a trak-ball. Of course, these flaws could be corrected for a zero-G mouse, but they would DEFINITELY need to be considered. Also, you have the problem with what the mouse is going to do while you let go to work at the keyboard. With gravity, the mouse stays right where it's supposed to and leaves the pointer alone. In zero-G, the mouse might decide to do some exploring on its own, moving the pointer, and possibly floating somewhere out of reach. -- CrayDeath | "The Crystal Wind is the Storm, and the Storm mka Brennan M. O'Keefe | is the Data, and the Data is Life." internet: bmo1@ra.msstate.edu | -- Daniel Keys Moran, _The_Long_Run_