PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

20.1 Mice Versus Trackballs

As with any input device, personal
preference should rule choice. That said, relative to mice,
trackballs have the following advantages:

A trackball remains in place, and so requires less free desk space
than a mouse.

The trackball roller ball contacts your thumb rather than the desktop
or mouse pad, which means it is less likely to require frequent
cleaning. (However, "red-eye"
optical mice do not require cleaning and so eliminate this
advantage.)

A trackball is often the better choice for 3D gaming and similar
programs, where pointing and clicking are the most important
functions.

Some evidence suggests that using a trackball is less likely to cause
RSI than using a mouse.

Trackballs have the following disadvantages:

Most trackballs are designed such that you guide the pointer with
your thumb, which is the least dexterous digit. Accordingly, many
users find it harder to position the cursor exactly with a trackball
than with a mouse.

Most people find a trackball clumsier than a mouse for operations
that depend heavily on click-and-drag, such as creating and editing
documents.

Some evidence suggests that using a trackball is more likely to cause
RSI than using a mouse. (Yes, we know...)

Mice and trackballs are inexpensive enough that you should try both
if you spend much time at a computer. If you have never used a
trackball, doing so requires some adjustment. Many people find
Microsoft optical trackballswhich look like a mouse with the
red optical dome on the top or the side, depending on modelto
be the easiest trackballs to adjust to.