
The evolution of the trackball - artsandsci
https://tedium.co/2017/10/12/trackball-input-device-history/
======
mark-r
So there's the history, on to the modern day question: why is it so hard to
find a trackball that isn't wireless? I don't think Logitech makes one
anymore. I can see the appeal of wireless mice, but a trackball doesn't need
to move so the wire is much less of a burden - and it removes the need to
change batteries.

~~~
Isamu
Trackman Marble. USB. I have been using this forever and swear by it.

[https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/trackman-
marble?crid=...](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/trackman-
marble?crid=7)

I was alarmed by your comment and had to go to the website to confirm it is
still for sale.

Also: I switched to this because of wrist issues. I really think having this
large marble trackball at your fingertips could be helpful to a lot of people.
Give it a try! It's cheap.

~~~
flyinghamster
On the other hand you can't get a wired trackball from them that has the ball
to the left; the M570 and the MX Ergo are wireless-only. I have an earlier
wired USB Trackman Marble with a PS/2 adapter, which I'm glad I bought and
squirreled away when it was available. My 20-or-so-year-old PS/2 Trackman
finally started to show its age, and the "newer" one came out of storage to
replace it.

~~~
MisterTea
I see that the wired USB/PS2 Logitech TrackMan Wheel is available from
refurbished on newegg for USD 45. I'm tempted to give it a shot now.

~~~
flyinghamster
Hmmm... might be worth looking into. (The trackball I was referring to was
that, not the Marble). It wouldn't be bad to have a spare, though if this one
holds up as well as the ancient Trackman I retired, I won't be needing it for
a while.

------
garethrees
I'm a trackball fan, but trackballs and mice have different properties that
make them suitable for different tasks. Mice are better than trackballs at
fine motion and precise movement. Trying to get pixel-perfect movement (say,
in a drawing program) with a trackball can be frustrating.

But trackballs have the following advantages over mice: 1\. You don't need as
much desk space, since the trackball doesn't move about. 2\. The trackball
stays where you put it so you can find it quickly without having to look. 3\.
Because the trackball doesn't move about, the cable can be arranged so that it
doesn't get in the way. 4\. Clicking the buttons on a trackball never
accidentally nudges the pointer. 5\. Trackballs are faster for big pointer
movements, as you can spin the ball in the right direction and then brake it
when the pointer gets close to its destination. 6\. When a mouse user comes
over to your desk and tries to use the trackball they will find it trickier
than they expect, and they will have to hand control back to you.

~~~
teolandon
Love #6, probably the real reason I've spent so much time customizing my
system and setup.

~~~
ianai
Not my reason initially, but it pays off.

------
ogdoad
Very nice historical overview, but the abrupt closing with "Last month, in
fact, Logitech released its first new trackball in seven years, ..." makes me
wonder if this is just grey advertising of the new product.

------
EtDybNuvCu
I play video games with a trackball instead of a mouse when I can. Most games
do not require mouse-specific movement. The main problem I've found is that
the market allows thumb-based trackballs, which are extremely painful to use
for more than a few seconds and very hard to precisely control. The ideal
trackball lets users switch between index-finger-only and two-finger control,
so that it's possible to rapidly click mouse buttons while improving precision
in a cross-screen scroll.

------
rconti
Logitech Trackman FX was the best trackball of all time. I've had a half dozen
of them. Sadly, I eventually gave in and moved on to the trackpad.

~~~
ghaff
Yeah, really liked those but it eventually died. I still have the wired
Logitech trackball in the middle one but never liked it as much.

I used trackballs for ages but I actually preferred the trackpad when I
switched to a Mac even though I had always hated pads on Windows laptops.

~~~
randcraw
Maybe you should try the Kensington Expert Trackball. I have a Macbook Pro at
work and an iMac at home and use the Kensington on both for over 8 years. A
great trackball, IMHO better than Logitechs.

I've tried and sometimes use a Touchpad, which is hard to beat when I'm
mobile. But I still prefer the stability of the ball, its inertia, fine
control, and especially its clearer semantics for compound operations. Too
often, I find that TrackPad multibutton ops (esp. Force Touch) will miss the
mark.

~~~
ghaff
Thanks. I may give it a try. I'm pretty happy with current Mac Trackpads (to
the point where I see no reason to use a mouse or anything else on my laptop
but always looking for more comfortable input devices.

------
stevenicr
Did this article completely skip over the microsoft trackballs?

I'm far from an Msoft fanboy, but the wired trackball they had got more use
from me and the various mice I had for many years.

I was on a quest to develop a system to use it more and suddenly they stopped
making them! I think I got one still in stock somewhere for bit more, and now
they are $380 on amazon.

Please come back with that design and shape - it was a little longer than the
logitech (I think), which gave it a perfect feel for my hand, and made it very
stable when on a desk, or cinder block, or pressed against the body.. in the
lap or while standing up.

Any chance the old Msoft design on that is past any kind of patent stage?

I still like the logitech one I have that works, when not at my desk, just
because I find trackballs better in general than a mouse or trackpad in mobile
situations.

I bought two extras of those when I saw they were no longer being carried at
the local office box just to be sure to have one if no longer being made. Wish
I had bought an extra couple of the Msoft ergo keyboards they no longer make.

------
wodenokoto
I still don't understand why the air controller needs the trackball. The
article makes it sound like they select planes on screen, but it also says
that before selecting the plane, they enter the code of that plane, which to
me sounds like it is already selected.

------
Overtonwindow
Fascinating! This is the kind of article I come to Hckrnews for.

------
ebikelaw
The ATC task sounds like it would have been a lot easier with a light pen, or
a touch screen if those had existed at that time.

~~~
joezydeco
Look up the term "Gorilla arm" and you'll see why it's not easier in the long
run.

------
logfromblammo
This is an advertisement for the Logitech MX Ergo.

Possibly also for Golden Tee. Not sure about that part.

