

Novel pointing devices? - abstractbill

The RSI in my right hand is getting pretty bad recently.  My arm aches all the time, and my fingers are sore when I use them.  My thumb joint has started clicking :-(<p>I finally figured out what it is I'm doing this time (there have been times before, when I've had to adjust after getting into a bad habit).  This time I'm exclusively using the track-pad on my macbook-pro and, to get better accuracy, I'm resting the weight of my hand on the tip of my thumb while I use my forefinger to mouse.<p>Yeah, I know it sounds dumb.  It was completely unconscious though - I've only just noticed I do it.<p>I think I need to get a new pointing device.  I've tried many normal mice, and I went through a period of liking track-balls for a while... is there anything else that might be better?  Something different from all of the above?
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hamsterboy
Disclaimer: I work for this company.

I don't have any scientific studies to back me up, but the marketing for Wacom
tablets says they help:

<http://www.wacom.com/comfort/index.cfm>

<http://www.wacom.com/index2.cfm>

It's a very different experience to working with a mouse; the active area on
the tablet maps to your entire desktop, so after you're acclimatized, it's
almost like the pointer moves in reaction to thought.

(Edit: fixed formatting)

~~~
martian
I had a friend who really hurt his wrists from coding too much, and he
switched to a Wacom tablet. It was a little strange to watch him mouse around
a webpage with the Wacom pen, but he claims it helped him tremendously.

Otherwise, learning the keyboard shortcuts for your favorite programs might go
a long way to help you reduce strain.

Also, I haven't personally used it, but I like the concept of this mouse, it
slides into your laptop's PCI slot (probably not too good for the wrists,
though):
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G1D8HU/ref=cm_rdp_produ...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G1D8HU/ref=cm_rdp_product)

------
naish
My wife swears by the Roller Mouse:

<http://www.contourdesign.com/rollermouse/>

It sits underneath a keyboard and uses a roller that rolls up and down and
slides left and right. Takes a little getting used to, but significantly
reduces hand motion and strain.

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niels_olson
Fellows has some interesting products which I've used in the past with some
success. In general, using a variety (I also use a wacom sometimes, and often
use a mighty mouse with my ibook)

<http://www.google.com/products?q=fellowes+microtrac>
[http://fellowes.com/Fellowes/site/products/ProductDetails.as...](http://fellowes.com/Fellowes/site/products/ProductDetails.aspx?Id=99928)

They used to have a presentation version of this that was wireless and had a
pistol below the trackball cage. I bought two and still use one if and when I
have an office. I haven't tried this microtrac version but it would definitely
take all stress off your wrist!

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ra
I can't use a mouse for more than a few minutes, but I use a trackball all day
long.

Kensington Expert Mouse does it for me.

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Kaizyn
\- Perific mouse... \- One of those ergonomic 'sideways' mice... that look
like: <http://www.fentek-ind.com/lmvmr3sb.jpg> \- Drop the mouse altogether
and learn VIM/Emacs. \- Get a Wacom Tablet (Bamboos are cheap), or \- Get one
of those head-tracking devices

~~~
javert
"Drop the mouse altogether and learn VIM/Emacs."

Seriously, you can almost completely avoid having to use the mouse. I have
tons of key shortcuts set up in Gnome, I call all my programs from the
keyboard, etc, so it's not that hard. Plus, it will save you a lot of time.

~~~
abstractbill
I spend 90% of my time in Emacs already.

I've learned a few firefox shortcuts this morning though, and that is helping!

