Subject: Re: i have been enlightened
From: Gordon Neault (gordo-x@shaw.ca)
Date: Sat Mar 09 2002 - 15:56:51 MST
"... yep! i plugged in my dads optical logitech mouse (usb) and it worked
like a
charm. ..."
Might be part of the kernel now (LinuxPPC was 2.2.18).
"... btw... "multibutton corded conventional (optical w/ball) mouse"
how can a mouse be optical and have a ball at the same time? are you
referring to the track ball? or the ball underneath (i always called that
the mouseball... iunno). ..."
The old mouses and trackballs are actually optical devices; they used 2
LED's and 2 detectors to create the signal telling the computer the mouse
was moving. The rubber ball was simply the means to move the fan-like
wheels (2) which interrupted the light path. (imagine a windmill blocking
and letting through the light of a setting sun).
If you've ever cleaned your mouse, the 2 wheels that get grungy are
directly attached to the "fans"; and on either side of each fan are the
led and detector; in other words they are mechanical-optical devices.
So called "Optical" mice actually bounce light off your desk; they read
movement when the properties of the light changes (which is why they won't
work on some smooth, seamless surfaces like a mirror; moving the mouse
doesn't change the property of the reflection).
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a24 : Sat Mar 09 2002 - 16:11:55 MST