[rescue] Re: Of mice and men

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Wednesday, July 10, 2002 at 00:45:32 (+0200), roosmcd at dds.nl wrote: ]
> Subject: [rescue] Re: Of mice and men
>
> > (the "hockey puck" style mouse isn't bad to use, but the best is the old
> > Swiss-made "half sphere" mouse that the DMD and other similar machines
> > used.  I don't mind my Sun optical mice, but they're ergonomically horrid)
> 
>  Hey, do you mean a "Smaky" mouse? 
> 
> http://www.epsitec.ch/smaky/photo-f.php 
> 
>  I have one like the one shown on the Smaky 100 picture. I was wondering for 
> years to what computer this thing connected to until I saw a Smaky page. But I 
> don't have a Smaky, is this usefull for anything else? The mouse I have is fire-
> engine red and looks quite cool, which is the main use of it nowadays.

Yes, it's a bit hard to see, but I think that's it.  The ones AT&T
shipped with the DMDs were red too.  The only problem I've ever had with
that mouse has been the tendency for the buttons to be knocked off
(they're supposed to come off easy and clip back on, but if one gets
lost, stepped on and crushed, etc....)

Another hard-to-see photo:

	http://www.bell-labs.com/user/dwd/5620.jpg

	http://www.bell-labs.com/user/dwd/5620faq.html

It's not compatible with a normal PC-style serial mouse, but I believe
it is a type of serial interface (perhaps the protocol is different)....

I just realized I have one on the top of the filing cabinet behind
me....  the manufacturer is Dpraz, and it's a "Type D 83 / P".  It's
not exactly a half-sphere -- the sides are flat to accomodate grasping
it with your thumb and pinky finger.  Inside the back-side of the PCB
says "DEPRAZ MOUSE TYPE P".  It's a marvel of design and construction
inside and out!

The best thing about it is you can very comfortably rest your hand on it
without fear of pressing the buttons, but when pressed the buttons have
terrific tactile and audio feedback!

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;            <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;           <woods at robohack.ca>
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