Since I started with XHEO I have been using a wireless Microsoft keyboard and mouse setup. Now, normally I steer away from the wireless components because I cannot the thought of having to change batteries. Or how about the times you start something and it just takes over your computer? Is the PC not responding to your commands because the process has taken over, or because the batteries have died?
What about the timing that the batteries die, huh? You’re in the middle of coding something, plugging along just peachy until <BAM> nothing. What just happened? Then you get to sit there and figure out what is going on. By the time you realize it’s the darn batteries, replace them, and get back into…wait…what was I doing? Exactly. It screws with you. For this reason, I have avoided the wireless components minus my blue-tooth head piece. This, I cannot live without.
Last year when I started with XHEO, what’s at my desk? A wireless mouse and keyboard (a Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 3000. Gah! You know how it is, when you start a new job you don’t want to make waves. So I bit the bullet and started working. Now, it’s not that I’ve been afraid to make a change, it’s that I’ve been lazy, and well, mostly I forgot about it. I guess wireless grew on me.
Well, today I brought in my track ball. Well, ok, not mine (a Logitech TrackMan Wheel). Mine has the ball controlled by the thumb. This track ball was free from a friend and has the ball controlled by the index finger (the Microsoft Trackball Explorer). Now this goes against all pre-known motor-skills. First attempt had me trying to click with the ball. Nope, not going to work. Second attempt had me trying to move the entire device like it was a normal mouse. Nope, not going to work either.
So here I sit, doing more by keyboard control contemplating the future of this track ball. I’ll give it time to see if it grows on me. But who knows, I may just end up with a wireless mouse again. Now the keyboard, very nice. Though not as ‘ergonomic’ as mine, it’s better then the old traditional keyboard. But that’s another story.