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dandy72 wrote: but they've eventually all developed annoying quirks...the left mouse button would stop working and "drop" a window as I'm dragging it by its caption...right-clicks that wouldn't register unless I tried a few times, pressing harder each time...that sort of thing. I've taken apart/cleaned these a number of times, but in the end, I had to give up on all of them.
The mouse of my old Atari ST is from 1986 and still works fine. Why don't you just buy a few microswitches in an electronics store, solder out the worn out ones in the mouse and replace them?
Edit: Has it really become so absurd to make simple repairs? So yes, instead of buying a new mouse, I suggest you get yourself a 25W soldering iron, a solder pump and some replacement parts.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
modified 18-Jul-18 3:49am.
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I've never had the finesse for soldering guns, and on top of that these days I lack the patience. I also wouldn't know what electronics store to order these parts from.
Maybe I'll just snailmail you my whole box of dead mice. 
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It's not major surgery. just five minutes work.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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At work they saddled me up with a pricey 3dconnexion cadmouse, although I don't do any CAD work. The right mousebutton is very small, which drove me crazy at first, but now I'm getting used to it.
Also it has very sensitive extra buttons which I press accidentally all the time and which do unpredictable things.
For some strange reason this mouse was given an "IF Design award" 
3Dconnexion: CadMouse[^]
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I've used Logitech M187[^] for ages. I currently have 4 (in different colours!). I like the small size and light weight - it engages my fingertips, not the whole paw. In the dim distant past, I had one in the same package (or very similar) that did Bluetooth.
Cheers,
Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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I use a Logi Trackman - the "upside down mice" - and they work really well for me, much better than standard mice.
Every now and then the switches start to play up - normally after some years - so I take 'em apart, desolder the iffy uSwitch and solder a new one in, and I'm good for more years. Normally costs me about £1.50 or less per switch and the code is printed on the side of the switch itself. Easy to get from Fleabay.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I've always been intrigued by these trackballs. I've used one exactly once, and it didn't take long for my thumb to get sore. I have to assume this is something that goes away with time, rather than get progressively worse...?
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They take some getting used to, but once you develop the muscles a bit, you don't want to go back!
No more falling off the mouse mat, no more mouse moving when you click the button, ...
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Did you drill yours to your desk? 
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No, it just sits there. Because the movement is only controlled by your thumb, and the physical position of the trackball doesn't affect the mouse pointer at all, clicking do anything except a click - independent systems. So if you're trying to align controls, you can "drop" without risk of movement.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Weird - on Friday I dumped my multi-button, multi-function gaming mouse for a basic Microsoft mouse - optical, USB, and I am much happier with it. Wasn't cheap though, compared to others.
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I spent way too much for a programmable multibutton mouse and whil I can say I'm satisfied with it I don't think I'll ever buy one again - it has a lot of nice features but not the capability od implementing the one function I desired.
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Honestly, I think Microsoft builds better mouse devices than software. For me the Comfort 4500 series remains unbeaten in comfort and durability.
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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I think a lot of the hardcore MS haters will admit liking their hardware. My preferred keyboards have also always been Microsoft's. I wish they'd update their original beige Natural Ergonomic keyboard from circa 1995 - I've worn out at least two of them.
Although these days they'd be rather inconvenient without the Windows key (and a few multimedia buttons that I've grown accustomed to). My current compromise is the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 v1.0. It's by far the closest thing they had to the original design (in terms of layout), although having the "6" key on the left half instead of the right still trips me up to this day.
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My Natural Pro keyboard has the 6 on the left and that is between 15 and 20 years old
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I had to dig mine out. Holy crap, you're right - the '6' button is on the left.
I could've sworn one of MS's first ergonomic (split) keyboards had the button on the right side (and by "right", I do mean the correct side)
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I'd say that for keyboards, yes... But mice were always Logitech for me starting with classic MouseMan
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. T.Jefferson
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More than a decade ago IBM made a big, dark blue "ergonomic" mouse. Wired, two buttons and a wheel with a couple of thumb buttons. It was great; it fitted my large hand - and I would still be using it if my son hadn't stolen it for his gaming machine. 
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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dandy72 wrote: I've had a few of them, but they've eventually all developed annoying quirks...the left mouse button would stop working and "drop" a window as I'm dragging it by its caption...right-clicks that wouldn't register unless I tried a few times, pressing harder each time...that sort of thing.
Why not just replace the failed button switch? That's what people did with the old Amiga mice back in the day. It's not like the thing's still in warranty. They probably all failed that way, and chances are, someone already posted instructions and the part number of the replacement switch.
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Why don't you give a try to something like Logitech's M500[^] if you want a corded mouse. This one works pretty fine I'd say, although personally I prefer her bigger cordless brothers because they sit better in my hands. Too bad that most of them are right-handed only.
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. T.Jefferson
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When I was a young lad and I played a lot of FPS games, there's was always something about the way the IntelliMouse felt that nothing else could match. When I could no longer get them I gradually just stopped playing FPS games because of frustration that I couldn't get another mouse to feel the same and I couldn't quite adapt to the way other mice moved no matter how hard I tried.
I've tried all manner of hardware for both gaming and development, but IntelliMouse + Comfort Curve keyboards just do it for me in a way nothing else can. The mouse I settled on with the most similar cursor feel to it is actually a Gigabyte mouse right now which I like, but I'm excited to see they rereleased the IntelliMouse! I'll have to give it a try to see if it actually is as good as I remember it or if that's just nostalgia talking.
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Mike Marynowski wrote: I'm excited to see they rereleased the IntelliMouse! I'll have to give it a try to see if it actually is as good as I remember it or if that's just nostalgia talking.
My experience so far with the 'new' one: It's not just nostalgia. It's much better than anything I had tried since the last of my originals had died.
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I hear ya there.
It was a sad, sad day when I lost my MS-Office 3000 Intelli mouse.
I have fairly large hands (Some would call them meat shovels) and pretty much every mouse Iv'e gotten since then is just dwarfed under my hand.
Currently I'm using a bog standard no frills Logitech supermarket £20 job from Tesco, the mouse is tiny, and the keyboard reminds me some what of typing on a ZX81 back in the 1980's.
Mouse wise, it's being a pain latley, trying to use the middle click on it, I sometimes have to press 2 or 3 times to get it to register, or sometimes I have to press, hold, until my action is performed, then let go before it repeats it a million times.
My Intelli mouse size wise used to just fit perfectly in my hand, and the keyboard was pretty good too.
However, about 5 months ago I was raking around in a box if spares in the loft, looking for something and I found one of these
PS2 Track ball on eBay
Which I forgot I had. I plugged it in and restarted the PC, and hey presto, win 7 picked it up straight away, no fuss. Since then Iv'e bitten the bullet and repaved to win 10, and you know what...
Damn thing still works flawlessly, and here's the best part. It's wonderful to use it. All the RSI related aches and pains I get moving the normal mouse around the desktop just disappear.
If I need the cursor to stay still I just take my finger off the ball and it stays still, it doesn't do the little jiggly dance like just about every optical one Iv'e seen does.
All I need now is to convince the missus I should go back to using a "Machine Gun" as a keyboard
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I have had intellimice but now using my Microsoft Comfort Mouse 4500 when I couldn't get a direct replacement. I use it left handed even though I am right handed
I had tennis elbow years ago and realised mouse use was aggravating it so I switched to left hand use but with the buttons configured for right hand use as well
The worst bit is the dirt that accumulates on the glide bits that has to be cleaned off when the mouse starts to drag
What I will really hope they keep making is my Microsoft Natural Pro keyboard which I have now had for 15 or more years, maybe I should buy a few as spares...
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I certainly get where you're coming from. I'm still using an old MS Internet Keyboard from way back. Both of the legs have broken over time and I've epoxied them back on. Of course I have to use a PS2 to USB converter. It's the bulk and robustness of the keyboard I like - most of the ones today are so cheap and skimpy (at least the ones that come with new PCs).
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