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One of the more important tools at the web designer’s disposal is the mouse. We have hundreds of options, including optical, wireless, and traditional, with or without wheels - and that's not to mention trackpads and trackballs.
There are plusses and minuses for all of them. I personally will not use a wireless mouse because there hasn't been all that much research - if any - on the long-term effects of being exposed to Bluetooth radio frequencies all day long. Remembering the issues around computer monitor radiation - which has been carefully throttled back over the years by the same manufacturers who denied it existed - I recall that studies on the topic were also not exactly widely carried by the mass media. Studies by Kaiser Permanente and various Swedish groups seemed conclusive enough, but the only time I ever saw references to them was in The New Yorker - and a U.S. government study carefully “mis-designed” to prove that nothing was wrong. Besides, we use enough batteries around here... so I stuck to wired mice.
For most of my work, I used to use a pair of Logitech MouseMan Wheel mice of odd, lumpy design; long discontinued, these mice (one PS/2 and one USB) seem to be best for my hands. They provide two buttons (four, really, but I can't remember to use the others) and a wheel, which I came to rely on but gave up easily enough later. Unfortunately, my USB mouse died, and I was unable to find a replacement. I found Apple’s mouse annoying, but it was my only USB mouse that was worth using (the Belkin’s button began sticking; quality equipment is worth the price.) The Apple mouse, amusingly, works just fine with my Windows computer (I operate them both using a USB switch), aside from having only one button, making it impossible to use the contextual menus! (On the Mac, you can do this by holding down the control key while clicking. That also works via Microsoft Remote Access.) Being optical, the Apple mouse never needs to be cleaned, which is a real plus - the Logitech, like all standard mice, starts to get finicky and cumbersome after it's been used for a long time and dirt's gotten into the wheels, so it needs to be cleaned regularly.
I really do prefer two buttons, so I was happy to see DVForge's USB Optical Mouse for Macintosh (which works perfectly well with Windows as well, at least under XP Pro). The DVForge Mouse looks like a silver version of the Apple mouse, a very classy appearance, not that I care much what mice look like; and the wheel is pleasant to grip and moves very smoothly with no detents. The wire is moderately long, not long enough to reach back to the computer, but not so long it gets tangled, either.
The DVForge Optical Mouse worked immediately when plugged into either computer, and tracks flawlessly around the screen with the precision one expects from an optical mouse. The bottom is nicely treated for smooth operation on a mouse pad. No additional software is needed, though MacMice provides a driver for more Mac functions if desired.
Many people really like to use this mouse every day, but we found it to be annoying because we constantly found ourselves accidentally right-clicking. The design does not use buttons, as such, but uses a version of the Apple mouse system. On an Apple mouse, when you press down, the entire mouse cover goes down, activating the actual switch; it makes it easier because you can press anywhere. On the MacMice / DVForge mouse, the case is split down the middle to about halfway down on the mouse, so that pressure anywhere on the middle-to-top area will bring a click. Because of the way I use a mouse, this led to many inappropriate clicks, and I finally had to revert to the single-button Apple mouse while I try to find a "new old stock" Logitech...or something newer that fits my hand nicely without any inadvertant clicks.
If you are interested in the USB Optical Mouse for Macintosh, click here.
Recently, thanks to a discussion on macintouch, I picked up a Kensington PilotMouse Optical, which is available both with and without wireless capabilities. Not needing any more radiation, I got the wired version, which is also fairly inexpensive - cheaper than the Apple Pro Mouse or Mighty Mouse, or the DVForge USB Optical Mouse, in fact. It features two buttons on top plus the usual wheel button, and a large chunky surface that makes it ergonomically pleasing. The chrome and black shell would be right at home in a new car, but matching the computer was not my goal; having a fully functional mouse was, and in that regard, it works beautifully. I still think my old Logitech had an edge in shape, but this one has a far superior tracking mechanism (being optical it doesn't constantly get dirty and need cleaning); the real-actual-seriously buttons are far easier to use than the finger-sensing Mighty Mouse system. It worked perfectly with both my Mac and PC as soon as I plugged it in, cleverly using the existing Mighty Mouse driver on the Mac and the existing Logitech driver on the PC! From Internet tales I understand it works without fuss or installation on Macs and PCs without those drivers, too. I can fully and easily recommend this deal of a mouse, with just one caveat: it uses slightly more power than some other mice, and therefore may require a powered USB hub. In our case, it coexists nicely with our Matias OS X keyboard on the same unpowered hub. (Added note: if you use a Mac, you may have found that the standard Apple keyboard is not to your liking. In our case, the main problem was with the shift key not working properly — on either of two keyboards. We found the Matias OS X keyboard at $30 to be a fine replacement. We can't say the same about three other keyboards that were returned or given away, including a massive Logitech "Internet" keyboard whose keys could not withstand our manual-typewriter-trained fingers for more than a couple of weeks.)