

Ask HN: Trackball vs touchpad vs mouse - tonteldoos

Hi all,<p>I&#x27;ve recently (re)discovered the joys of mechanical keyboards, and am looking at optimizing the rest of my working setup.  As part of that, I&#x27;m looking to try different pointing devices.<p>Due to their cost, however, it&#x27;s not easy to just &#x27;try&#x27; a trackball or touchpad.  What is HN&#x27;s experience with the latter devices compared to a (optical, wireless) mouse?  Are there any researched ergonomics benefits to any of them?  Googling mainly results in &#x27;I prefer&#x27; type forum and blog posts.<p>Also, I&#x27;m using Ubuntu 12.04, so ideally the device of choice and its advantages should be accessible there...<p>Thanks!
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rprospero
I swear by the Logitech Trackman Wheel. What I love about it is that you're
controlling the cursor with just your thumb. With a mouse or a trackpad,
you're always using your wrist or your shoulders. Granted, that my not be an
issue for most people, but I have issues with my wrists and the trackball has
been a huge boon for me.

I own one with a cord and one that's cordless. The cordless one seems to have
trouble registering on some surfaces, so I'd recommend the wired version, as
its never given me any trouble.

Finally, they run just fine under Linux, which isn't that surprising for a
standard mouse.

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xsb
Maybe it's offtopic but Thinkpad trackpoints are really comfortable. And you
can use it to scroll without removing your hands from the keyboard. They sell
usb keyboards with it included.

