Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!netsys!lll-winken!arisia!fischer
From: fischer@arisia.Xerox.COM (Ronald A. Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: New mouse design... WHY?!
Summary: xerox opto mouse movement NOT relative to pad alignment
Message-ID: <738@arisia.Xerox.COM>
Date: 10 May 89 20:32:11 GMT
References: <7891@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <431a1e09.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu> <11604@well.UUCP>
Organization: Xerox PARC
Lines: 11

To re-emphasize a comment made previously, unlke all other optical
mice, the Xerox mouse's output is not dependent on the rotation of the
pad, only on the direction the hex grid on the pad slides under the
mouse itself.  Unlike the perpendicular stripes on the Mouse Systems
pad used by Sun, the hex pattern has no rotation as far as the
recognizer chip is concerned.  I have my mouse in hand now and its odd
to turn it sideways and try to control, just like a rollerball mouse
(I'm sending this from a Xerox AI Workstation connected to a UNIX
system).

(ron)