[ltp] IBM three button mice?

[Joerg Bruehe]

Hi Felix, all!


Felix E. Klee wrote:
> A relative needs a USB mouse for his new T43.  It should be a three
> button mouse since many of his LINUX applications require frequent
> operation of the middle mouse button.  A scroll wheel is not that
> important.  Now I know that IBM/Lenovo offers mice that have middle
> mouse button.  [[...]]

IMHO, the most important property of any mouse is that the user should 
feel comfortable with it, which is (to a large degree) a question of the 
mouse fitting the hand size. I would not buy a mouse unless I touched it 
first and like it (ok, I have sufficient shops near, need not mail-order).

Also IMHO, a Thinkpad is already so large that (for me) it does not 
matter whether the mouse is small and saves some space during transport.

Years ago, I found a PS/2 mouse sold by "A4tech" which fits both my and 
my wife's hands; I bought three of them. That mouse has three top-side 
buttons, two wheels (between the buttons), and a side button.
(I have not yet managed to configure the second wheel and the side 
button on Linux; at my previous job, on a Windows NT machine, the second 
wheel could be used for left-right scrolling and the side button for a 
magnifier.)

With my R51, I use that mouse on an adapter that will connect 2x PS/2 
(for mouse + keyboard) to USB, and it works very well.
I do not remember the make for certain (Digitus ?), but I can look it up 
if you need that info; the price was about 7 EUR.
(I need the 2x PS/2, because I also use it to connect my R51 to a KVM 
switch when I want to operate it from my desktop keyboard + mouse.)

So IMO, your relative should choose any three button mouse which fits 
his/her/their taste (size, shape, symmetry for left-handers or not, 
position of buttons, wheel yes/no) which has either a USB or a PS/2 
connector, and then (if needed) use a PS/2-USB adapter.


Regards,
Joerg

-- 
Joerg Bruehe  - persoenliche Aeusserung / speaking only for himself
mailto:joerg.bruehe@web.de