The Mouse

Going back to Diablo, I've been a mouse user. Yes, that's right--I'm blaming my mouse addiction on Diablo, not Windows. I didn't realize how much I need my mouse until the one I had been using suddenly died. That's when I realized I really hate the touchpad on my laptop. The need for a replacement quickly went from a nice convenience to a necessity--so much so that I drove out today in the wind and snow to purchase it.

You're probably wondering what this has to do with the Ubuntu Experiment, but bear with me.

I had been using the Microsoft Wireless Mouse 3000. I was perfectly happy with it up until its untimely demise. I neither needed nor wanted anything exceptional; I just want something that works. The 3000 was comparatively inexpensive and fulfilled that need. I had no complaints about it. I noticed in many reviews of mice that users complain about the range. If it doesn't have a range of up to three feet, it's not a good mouse. I actually find that a comical criticism. I can't think of any case where my mouse would be more than a foot away from the laptop. On a desktop system, that might be an issue. But a laptop?

In any event, the 3000 worked just fine for me. Then, after less than a year, it was unexpectedly dead. At first I thought it was another dead battery, but swapping it out for multiple fresh ones didn't fix the problem. It was obviously not a synch issue (the status light indicated the battery was dead even though I replaced it multiple times), but I tried re-synching anyway with no luck. Final conclusion: It was just dead.

Why not just use the touchpad on the laptop? Yes, the touchpad works, but it's, well, touchy. Too touchy for my tastes. And many tasks are just easier to perform with a mouse than the silly touchpad--click and drag for one, select and copy for another.

I could even live with some of those quibbles, but the placement of the touchpad in the horizontal center of the keyboard is a big issue with me. I'm right handed. When I need to left-click something using the touchpad, I frequently find myself right-clicking instead. I end up having to look down at the touchpad to ensure I'm clicking the correct button.

That happens because when the laptop is positioned properly for me to type on the keyboard, my right hand isn't in an ergonomic position to use the touchpad buttons. When I'm using a mouse, my hand is already on the buttons I need for left and right clicking without having to look down. I've been conditioned to drive with my left hand on the keyboard and the right hand on the mouse.

So it was off to Office Depot for a replacement mouse. Again, even though the $10-off sale on a Logitech laser mouse (regularly $49.99, discounted to $39.99) was tempting, I didn't really need it. Why pay an extra $10 when the less expensive model fits my needs just fine? So now I was faced with the dilemma of choosing between the 3000 once again or, for the same price, a Logitech V220. If color coordination were the primary criteria, I would have selected the 3000 in a heartbeat, since it came in a color that nicely matched my laptop.

The fact is, I was concerned about reliability. Would my replacement die after less than a year? I'd given Microsoft a decent shot, so now I figured it was time for Logitech to have a go at it. I opted for the V220.

My first positive experience with the mouse was opening the package. Nowadays I've come to appreciate electronics packages that don't require a crowbar and some C4 to open.

Now I had another choice to make: Boot to Windows and install it or Ubuntu? I chose Ubuntu. I was curious to see how easily Ubuntu would detect the device and whether it would work without having to download drivers or install some additional software.

I was pleasantly surprised when the system recognized the mouse without any intervention on my part and it worked immediately. In fact, that's what surprised me the most--there was no hesitation, no driver detection. It just worked. Yes, I'm sure it will work just fine in Windows too, but every time I plug a device like this into my Windows system, I have to wait several seconds for the system to identify the device and load the drivers for it. Again, that's not really a criticism of Windows, that's just the behavior I've come to expect.

That's why it was a pleasant surprise to me when Ubuntu didn't display notifications saying, "Hey, I've found a new device! Hey, I'm installing drivers for your new device! Hey, your new device is working now!"

Bottom line: It just works.

The V220 is working just fine so far, so I'm not missing the 3000. It tracks just fine, fits my hand well and does what expect a mouse to do. It's like I was never without my mouse. And that's the way I like it: a seamless transition. And no more annoying touchpad.