Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!clark.wbst@PARC-MAXC.ARPA From: clark.wbst@PARC-MAXC.ARPA Newsgroups: net.works Subject: mickey-mouse mice Message-ID: <17499@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 13-Mar-84 13:29:00 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.17499 Posted: Tue Mar 13 13:29:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 16-Mar-84 02:54:48 EST Lines: 29 Assuming you are talking about your first encounter with a mouse, I may be able to help a little... 1) If the mat gets dirty, the ball seems to 'stick'. I use a plastic notebook cover (shiny, but others use mat finish) and after a while a quick washing works wonders. I use alcohol because it is handy, even though it is not good for the plastic. I would expect water to be good to. 2) I have used a mouse with the ball in the back... it was terrible. I could not control it well at all, and had the 'no move' problem because my fingers were on the front but the ball in the back! So the pressure was in the wrong place. 3) If you use a pad made out of the wrong material the mouse gets gunked up. paper gets paper fibers. People also use typwriter mats (real dense foam) and after a while the ball has a perfect coating of rubber that makes it work real bad. This happened on my notebook cover only after a couple of years. It must then be taken apart and cleaned real good with isopropyl alchohol - no lubricants or anything that can leave a residue. Be VERY VERY careful if you try this. If you bend the little wires you are out of luck. I (obviously) am a mouse fan, and have never had any trouble from day one, so I tend to attribute problems to mice that are 'broke' either by design or condition. --Ray