While a lot of programming and actions can be strictly keyboard driven, when you don't use the keyboard, do you reach for a mouse or use a trackpad?
I'm half expecting the vast majority to be #TeamTrackpad as you do get portability benefits.
- Do you use a Mouse or Trackpad? (Or just a keyboard shortcut master?)
- Why do you use that? (Faster, easier, more portable etc?)
Oldest comments (34)
I personally still use a mouse (Logitech M505) with my ASUS VivoBook Pro N552VW even though the trackpad isn't bad.
I do like the accuracy of a mouse and I don't think a trackpad really does that for me. That or maybe I am so use to desktop PCs I don't even bother trying with a trackpad.
Mostly trackpad, since I'm on my laptop and it's difficult to use a mouse from the couch.
That said, using a mouse is faster and more efficient for me, most times.
When on a table I would use a mouse. I would use a touchpad if I am on a place where the mouse is not possible to use.
I have gone back and forth between using mouse/touchpad testing what is better and after a lot of trials I came to the conclusion that mouse is at least 2x faster to work with so I will use it most times.
In the past few months, I tried out Apple's magic mouse and it felt like a hybrid of both worlds: giving you the accuracy of a mouse and the swipe controls of a track pad.
I would prefer mouse but then again I feel more 'in-the-flow' when I don't take my hands from the keyboard at all - just using hot keys and short cuts. Actually, a colleague can navigate his workspace without touching the mouse at all but for me that's utopia 😅
When coding: I will disable the trackpad (most laptops have a special key to disable it) and use a wireless mouse when on a desk. When on a couch, I will try to use the mouse on a nearby flat surface. If impossible to use a mouse, I will use the trackpad.
When just browsing online: anything is fine — trackpad or mouse.
trackpoint if i code while laying down on ma bed, mouse when i'm on ma desk
If I'm writing more than, I don't know, 30 lines of code, it makes more sense to click around in a GUI. If it's less-than, a trackpad is probably fine.
Well it isn't a matter of opinion, a mouse is better than a trackpad and Fitts' law proves that properly already. The only time to use a trackpad is when your current location doesn't allow the use of a mouse.
Mostly #TeamTrackpad, since it's difficult to use a mouse from the couch, where I do most of my freetime programming. 😅 But still, using a mouse is faster and more efficient for me when working on the desk.
I'm always deeply impressed when I do pair-programming with my friend who is truly a keyboard shortcut master. Eh, I've never seen anyone using the mouse / trackpad that rarely.
On a ThinkPad, the track point, because I can keep my hands on the keyboard. On a Macbook Pro, the trackpad, because it's accurate and responsive. On any other machine, a mouse, since everyone is using the cheapest trackpads they can get away with.
I had the same thought. On a macbook the trackpad is big and glides really well, and at that point it's too much to move my hand all the way to a mouse
Trackball - works on any surface.
Additional benefit - other people won't dare to touch your machine :)
Hahaha that's great! 😆
Trackballs were more common once (late '90s), but some still use them.
The initial impact can be brutal, so it's not surprising almost nobody use them anymore, but once you get the hang of it a trackball can be really efficient (tested myself). Not like a mouse, but still:
I think it's a piece of hardware that deserves to be re-discovered.
I use the trackpad on my MacBook Pro. I feel like it's much faster to move your hand from the keyboard to the trackpad rather than to a mouse. I know the difference is less than a quarter of a second, but it feels annoying to use a mouse after being used to a trackpad. This, of course, depends heavily on the quality of the trackpad. MBP's trackpad feels just right, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on cursor accuracy, but other laptops' trackpads may not do it for me.
I do a lot of gaming, so a mouse is a must all of the time for me. I still of course avoid using it pretty much everywhere outside of gaming, but since I always have a mouse attached I use that when I need to.
Also I find mice to be a bit more reliable than trackpads as long as you don't skimp out on cost.
Can't use a trackpad for more than brief non-dev purposes. And I can't use laptop keyboards.
So I always carry both a wireless mouse and a mechanical keyboard with my laptop. Given my way, I'd get a laptop with a built-in mechanical keyboard, no trackpad at all.
A mouse, definitely.
Actually, being forced to use a trackpad sometimes (on the train, in meetings, etc.) convinced me to create even more keyboard shortcuts, so now I do 95% of the actions with the keyboard anyway.
The only exceptions are some actions that are not "shortcuttable" (like resizing the sidebars on the IDEs) or actions I don't do often (like clicking the "new email" or the "send" button)