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From: hundt@wind.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Mice for Tandy 1000]
Message-ID: <3830@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: Wed, 25-Nov-87 13:05:48 EST
Article-I.D.: bellcore.3830
Posted: Wed Nov 25 13:05:48 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Nov-87 04:16:27 EST
Sender: news@bellcore.bellcore.com
Reply-To: hundt@wind.UUCP (tom hundt)
Organization: Bellcore, Morristown, NJ
Lines: 41
Keywords: Help?
Xref: utgpu comp.sys.tandy:480 comp.sys.ibm.pc:9008

>I'm thinking about adding a mouse to my Tandy 1000.  I'd like any info
>that anyone out there could offer on what mice are good, which are bad, and

There are two types of "sensing mechanisms" used:  a ball that moves by friction
with your desktop (or a mouse traction pad), and LEDs/phototransistors that
sense movement by reflecting beams off of a grid on a special (flat metal) pad.
Which is better is largely a matter of preference.  Try them.

Good mice:  Logitech (3 buttons), trackball.  Mouse systems (3 buttons) optical.
Microsoft (2 buttons), trackball.  I would advise against "clone" mice, they
are really kind of cheap.  And a mouse doesn't cost that much anyway.  ($80?)

>of course, which ones would work with a Tandy 1000.
A serial mouse should be more compatible with your machine than a bus mouse.
Call the manufacturer is my advice.

>Since the board length max is 10", what would I need to get a mouse going?
Bus mice generally come with small boards, 1/2 slot size.
Serial mice require a serial port, which you provide.

>Also, what software is good to use a wouse with?  I've read about MS Word
>and others, but as far as a list of good "mousable" software, I have yet
>to see.

Word is nice, and so is Norton Commander.  Norton Editor.  Various "paint" 
programs.  Desktop publishing.
Also, there's software that comes with the Logitech and Mouse Systems mice
that lets them emulate arrow keys (ie. move mouse up = a bunch of 
up-arrow keystrokes fed to the application -- similar to the AT&T 6300 mouse).
I think there may be such for the MS-mouse too (I'm not certain).
There's also menuing software that lets you set up pulldown menus for all
your favorite programs, to make them mouse-activated.

By the way, it's really pretty easy to write software that uses the mouse.  All
you do is hook into the interrupt and the Microsoft-compatible mouse driver.
The driver does all the moving of the cursor for you... it even keeps track
of numbers of button-presses and such things.

 /-^-\  Thomas M. Hundt / BELLCORE Morristown NJ / hundt@bellcore.bellcore.com
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