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From: v056ped5@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Brian M McNamara)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Re: Track ball on a keyboard?
Message-ID: <79911@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Date: 13 Jun 91 21:47:28 GMT
References: <91163.083144CJS@psuvm.psu.edu> <1991Jun12.142307.210@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
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As defined in my Ergo text book...a trackball is categorized as "Other
Cursor Pointing Devices", "good pointing device but not well suited 
for drawing." Essentially it is an inverted mouse. Instead of rolling
the mouse along the table, you move the ball in a stationary frame.
Everyone must have played Missile Command at one time. That was a 
trackball :-).

There is only one real advantage I can see. You don't tie up your desk
space with a mouse pad and everything else.

Many disadvantages to adopting a trackball over a mouse have been discussed
but what about the applications which require holding one or two keyboard
keys, one or two mouse keys, and moving the mouse. This doesn't seem quite
possible if everything is on the keyboard.

Brian