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Does anyone have an idea why, according to the author, a mouse being wireless is so essential?

WalterSear 10y ago
IMHO, it's because you can put it where you want, such as on a side table at arm height, rather than where the cable lets you.
dangerlibrary 10y ago
I can't think of any reason why a wireless mouse would have an ergonomic benefit over a wired one. They are the same size, shape, and orientation, and any decrease in drag from the lack of a cord is more than offset by the increased weight of the batteries.
- wcarss 10y ago
  When I'm reading a web page or code, I occasionally stand or sit with my mouse in my hand and my arm relaxed at my side, or across my chest. It changes the extension of my arm considerably and sometimes makes things much more comfortable.
dragonwriter 10y ago
> Does anyone have an idea why, according to the author, a mouse being wireless is so essential? I'm not sure why according to the author, but the advantages I can think of are: (1) It allows more free repositioning to address ergonomic issues, and (2) While this doesn't necessarily happen all the time, lots of times wired mice end up with the wires running in paths where they ocassionally provide more resistance to certain movements, which seems likely to have negative ergonomic consequences over time.
npsimons 10y ago
Yeah, it bothered me that the author didn't even give a rationale for it, just mentioned it and brushed it aside, much like his other recommendations that are "industry standard." I agree with the main point of the article, and good solutions are touched upon lightly, but it feels really shallow and very much single anecdote.
bhauer 10y ago
While I agree with many things in this article, I don't agree with a wireless mouse. The only (modest) advantage I can cite for a wireless mouse is reduced friction thanks to removing that slight tug you will get the cable. The upsides for a wired mouse are: * Zero lag. Wireless mice add a few milliseconds of lag. * Zero charging. It's never out of charge because you forgot to dock it at the end of the day. * Zero stuttering. Even the best wireless mice sometimes stutter. To my mind, the most important things for a mouse are: * Get a mouse with extra smooth gliding surfaces. Most good gaming mice qualify. * Get a properly weighted mouse. Again, most gaming mice qualify. * Get a proper mouse pad. A gaming mouse pad will usually provide the best surface. * Make sure the cable has proper slack. * Set your acceleration properly so that you don't need to reposition the mouse often. Again, a high-quality high-resolution mouse really helps here. A gaming mouse can help if it has a "sniper" mode allowing you to engage a high-precision mode to click small targets in your UI. Ultimately, yes, what I am recommending is get a lot of gaming hardware to do work, but it's actually great.

IMHO, it's because you can put it where you want, such as on a side table at arm height, rather than where the cable lets you.

dangerlibrary 10y ago

I can't think of any reason why a wireless mouse would have an ergonomic benefit over a wired one. They are the same size, shape, and orientation, and any decrease in drag from the lack of a cord is more than offset by the increased weight of the batteries.

wcarss 10y ago
When I'm reading a web page or code, I occasionally stand or sit with my mouse in my hand and my arm relaxed at my side, or across my chest. It changes the extension of my arm considerably and sometimes makes things much more comfortable.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> Does anyone have an idea why, according to the author, a mouse being wireless is so essential? I'm not sure why according to the author, but the advantages I can think of are: (1) It allows more free repositioning to address ergonomic issues, and (2) While this doesn't necessarily happen all the time, lots of times wired mice end up with the wires running in paths where they ocassionally provide more resistance to certain movements, which seems likely to have negative ergonomic consequences over time.

npsimons 10y ago

Yeah, it bothered me that the author didn't even give a rationale for it, just mentioned it and brushed it aside, much like his other recommendations that are "industry standard." I agree with the main point of the article, and good solutions are touched upon lightly, but it feels really shallow and very much single anecdote.

bhauer 10y ago

While I agree with many things in this article, I don't agree with a wireless mouse. The only (modest) advantage I can cite for a wireless mouse is reduced friction thanks to removing that slight tug you will get the cable. The upsides for a wired mouse are: * Zero lag. Wireless mice add a few milliseconds of lag. * Zero charging. It's never out of charge because you forgot to dock it at the end of the day. * Zero stuttering. Even the best wireless mice sometimes stutter. To my mind, the most important things for a mouse are: * Get a mouse with extra smooth gliding surfaces. Most good gaming mice qualify. * Get a properly weighted mouse. Again, most gaming mice qualify. * Get a proper mouse pad. A gaming mouse pad will usually provide the best surface. * Make sure the cable has proper slack. * Set your acceleration properly so that you don't need to reposition the mouse often. Again, a high-quality high-resolution mouse really helps here. A gaming mouse can help if it has a "sniper" mode allowing you to engage a high-precision mode to click small targets in your UI. Ultimately, yes, what I am recommending is get a lot of gaming hardware to do work, but it's actually great.