11 ms·

I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. For working with text (including code) keyboards are better, and for gaming mice are better. Whe

I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. For working with text (including code) keyboards are better, and for gaming mice are better. Where I'm less sure is graphics and video, but it seems to me like specialized mice, graphics tablets, and other tools (eg. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/keyboard https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/key... and https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/panels https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/pan...) are better. The only thing trackpads seem good at is browsing¹, which IMO should be a slightly glorified text task where Pentadacyl/luakit/qutebrowser/etc.² vi-style keybindings³ are best. Edits to respond: My point is that most tasks are either ① best done in a good text editing / development environment that works well with a specialized text input device — a keyboard — or ② would be better done with a specialized non-keyboard, non-trackpad input device (eg. a gaming mouse, graphics tablet, etc.) ⁰especially here on HN ¹including scrolling through PDFs and other documents ²or Zathura or less ³and/or/including PageUp/Down, Home, and End on luxurious large keyboards. Space and Shift+Space are okay on smaller ones.

the_hoser 6y ago
When done right, they're wonderful. When done wrong, you end up creating custom keybindings to augment your workflow and lug a mouse around when that doesn't cut it. I've never seen a PC laptop do it right.
sixothree 6y ago
Let me introduce you to the developers whose primary machine is a laptop without a mouse. Or a second screen.
- Brakenshire 6y ago
  I actually use the touchpad for scrolling even when I’m using a mouse. It’s a much better interface for that purpose.
  - medstrom 6y ago
    Now I'm picturing a fat tungsten scrollwheel with a lot of inertia, that keeps spinning after you roll it.
- dingaling 6y ago
  We used to have a far better solution for that, the pointer stick on Dell and IBM laptops. Direct control over the cursor without abrading your sweaty dirty finger skin over a frictive surface.
  - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
    > a far better solution for that, the pointer stick on Dell and IBM laptops. Please search the web for "trackpoint drift".
    - hackyhacky 6y ago
      This is not a problem on modern ThinkPads.
      - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
        > This is not a problem on modern ThinkPads. Funny, because I see people complaining about it still in 2020 on brand new Thinkpads. See for instance https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/ken18b/does_your_trackpoint_cause_pointer_drift/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/ken18b/does_your_... and the comments saying "They all drift, it's inherent by the sensor design", "It drifts on all my ThinkPads too", "Mine sometimes drifts". So unless your definition of modern is "ones that haven't been released yet", I think you might be wrong.
    - davidy123 6y ago
      I've been a Trackpoint addict for over 20 years, using computers 8+ hours a day. I wouldn't consider any other pointer method. Trackpoint drift is an issue, but it's not really a big problem. A few times a month, it happens for a few seconds, then it works itself out. I have had episodes of cramping, but they've gone away with no long term impact. It may be that I've become more zen/accepting, because I'm sure a mouse or trackpad can be more precise pointing tools, but it's worth it for the connection. Input is all about the keyboard and mouse, and the proximity just makes so much sense, especially when using vim mode. I could imagine better systems where typing with a keyboard is still the main input, but they would all involve not taking my hands off the home row.
- airbreather 6y ago
  Ha, no second screen, next you will be telling me you made it yourself out of rocks and sand.
  - sixothree 6y ago
    To be fair, I am not describing myself. I have 4 monitors across three machines in my office.
meetups323 6y ago
For general working, trackpad is better. You can type and move the mouse without moving your hands.
- dublinben 6y ago
  Did you mean a trackpoint? How can you type and move the mouse without moving your hands with a trackpad?
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    Not sure what you're confused about - your hand can hover over the keyboard and trackpad at the same time - they're right next to each other. I don't need to move my hands to go from one to another?
  - losvedir 6y ago
    Use your thumbs. The track pad is right below the space bar. Or, it's close enough that with hovering hands you can move back and forth between keys without looking. It's much faster to navigate a code base that way, I think, than trying to jump in vim lines at a time. A smooth, continuous scroll at easily controllable, different speeds does wonders for keeping continuity of a file in mind.
    - boogies 6y ago
      > easily controllable, different speeds This is why I like having not just ^f/b full page, {}() paragraph and sentence, and of course j/k line scrolling but also ^u/d half-page scrolling so much that I mapped them it U and D in Zathura and Pentadactyl just for the centimeter of finger movement that saves.
      - meetups323 6y ago
        The funny thing is (){} are much further from where your fingers are at home than the track pad is from your thumbs on space.
spaetzleesser 6y ago
I had the same opinion until I used a MacBook. The trackpad works beautifully, the gestures make sense. It’s close to perfect. Even while on a docking station at my work desk I either the MacBook trackpad or the Magic Trackpad.
kayodelycaon 6y ago
> I’ve never understood why people care so much about trackpads. Because most people don't use vim and mice aren't usable unless you're sitting at a flat surface with the room to hold one. If I'm using my laptop on the couch, a trackpad is probably the best solution. (Trackpoint gave my index finger RSI, when I was was being careful.)
- neilparikh 6y ago
  > mice aren't usable unless you're sitting at a flat surface with the room to hold one Trackball mice a good solution to this problem. I had work on a bed without a table for 2 weeks last year, and a trackball mouse ended up working great (I didn't like using the trackpad, since switching from the keyboard to trackpad on a laptop is fairly uncomfortable if you do it often enough).
  - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
    > a trackball mouse ended up working great (I didn't like using the trackpad, since switching from the keyboard to trackpad on a laptop is fairly uncomfortable Switching from the keyboard to something an inch away is uncomfortable for you, but switching from the keyboard to something a foot away is not? I don't get it.
    - kayodelycaon 6y ago
      The angle on the trackpad can be uncomfortable when it’s sitting on your lap.
      - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
        I find that the larger trackpads on newer macbooks help with this a lot because the upper right corner of the pad is easily accessible at exactly the same angle of inward rotation by just pulling your elbow back along the side of your body. The Apple magic, I guess, is being able to have that without constant phantom palm touches. See https://imgur.com/a/qeRQIFD https://imgur.com/a/qeRQIFD An offset trackpad would also work, though obviously would be less friendly to lefties.
reaperducer 6y ago
my point is that most tasks are either ① best done in a good text editing / development environment Your point is only correct if you replace the word "most" with "my." The fact that trackpads are hugely popular indicates that your needs are not typical, and you should not impose your choices upon others with different needs. would be better done with a specialized non-keyboard, non-trackpad input device Show me a better multi-purpose input device that I can use to rotate objects on a screen. Or zoom into a specific object without affecting other objects on a screen. Or configure to have multiple hotspots that when tapped can trigger events or macros. Again, trackpads aren't your thing. Good for you. Other people love them, and millions of people get real work done on them each day.
- boogies 6y ago
  >Your point is only correct if you replace the word "most" with "my." The fact that trackpads are hugely popular indicates that your needs are not typical, and you should not impose your choices upon others with different needs. But Apple trackpads are not hugely popular, they have a fraction (~10%, likely less) of the global market. Does the fact that non-Apple computers are hugely popular indicate that the needs of Apple trackpad fans are not typical, and they should not extol their virtues to others? > Show me a better multi-purpose input device that I can use to rotate objects on a screen. Or zoom into a specific object without affecting other objects on a screen. Or configure to have multiple hotspots that when tapped can trigger events or macros. I’ve previously used a normal Apple mouse and keyboard to do all of these things in Adobe Photoshoshop and Illustrator on macOS and subsequently a random BestBuy mouse and ancient Compaq keyboard to do them in Gimp, Inkscape, and Blender on GNU (with xdotool for hot corners, which I’m counting as close enough to tapping hotspots). A graphics tablet would only work better. > Again, trackpads aren't your thing. Good for you. Other people love them, and millions of people get real work done on them each day. Again, non-Apple trackpads don’t seem to be your thing. Good for you. The majority of trackpad users use them every day.
  - reaperducer 6y ago
    I’ve previously used a normal Apple Magic mouse and keyboard to do all of these things If you've used a Magic Mouse, then you've used a mouse with a trackpad on its back. Glad you liked it! And no, rotating in Photoshop with the keyboard isn't the same as rotating with a trackpad. It's an entirely different process that is significantly less efficient, unless you already know the exact angle of rotation you want down to the 0.1°.
throwaway894345 6y ago
> Trackpad vs keyboard ¿Por que no los dos? Seriously, I wasn't talking about replacing my keyboard with a trackpad. They are different devices with different purposes and are intended to be used together.
dopu 6y ago
In my day job I'm constantly reading PDFs. Being able to zoom in/out, scroll, and move the cursor with such low effort can even bring me a little bit of joy. It's not really about what is most efficient. Computing should feel good. That's why it's hard for me to move away from Apple's trackpads.
- boogies 6y ago
  > a little bit of joy is a good description of what I feel reading PDFs efficiently, near effortlessly (which to me is near the same thing), and comfortably (also similar in that it involves minimal reaching, but also includes automatic semi-smart dark theming, easy good zooming, etc.) with Zathura.
BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
> I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. ... would be better done with a specialized non-keyboard, non-trackpad input device So you want a specialized input devices for every task on a mobile device. That's an interesting choice. And I guess you also want to carry all these specialized devices around with you? > browsing¹, which IMO should be a slightly glorified text task where Pentadacyl/luakit/qutebrowser/etc.² vi-style keybindings³ are best Ok. Say you see a headline on HN that looks interesting, and you go to click on it. Wait, no, you...uhh...tab tab tab tab tab over to it and press enter to go to the comments page (like we all do) and start reading the comments. And, oh look, you want to respond to one of them. So you...uhh...tab tab...uhh...tab...tab tab tab tab tab tab tab...tab tab? Or you could just point and click. Your proposed critical tasks of shifting the viewport and appending text to the current cursor location meet approximately 0% of computing user needs. The vast majority of all computer interaction is putting the cursor in the right place in the first place. The keyboard is terrible for that, external devices encumber portability, vertical touch screens require significant muscle control and effort, and trackpoints drift and do fewer things while being worse at all of them.
- boogies 6y ago
  > uhh...tab tab tab tab tab Please take a minute to type the name of any of the browsers I named into your favourite search engine or package manager and return when you know what we’re talking about. (This comment was made via Pentadactyl). > The vast majority of all computer interaction is putting the cursor in the right place in the first place. This is why it pains me to use browsers where I can’t tap [count]gi to focus input fields.
  - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
    > This comment was made via Pentadactyl Enlighten us all. What exactly did you press and what mental decision and awareness process was required to do it starting from the front page? > [count]gi "[count]" sounds like one would need to know how many like things on the page precede the thing you're trying to get to. Thanks but no thanks. 150! Oops, 100! Oops, 130!
GuB-42 6y ago
A friend of mine is a professional photographer, he is using his trackpad to process and edit his pictures. Hundreds of them per session. And it's not like he can't afford a mouse or even specialized hardware. And having tried Apple touchpads, they are actually good, so much that they released a standalone version for desktop computers. On every PC I have tried, at best, they provide you with a pointing device in case using a mouse is impractical. I don't intend to buy a Mac for several reason but I have to admit that their trackpads are not in the same league.
PhasmaFelis 6y ago
> I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. Because it's nice to be able to use my laptop without having to find a tabletop and dig out my mouse. In bed, on the couch, on a bus, as a passenger in a car. Smartphones have taken over a lot of those situations, but a small laptop is still much better for a lot of tasks. I don't use Macs anymore, but their touchpads are actually as precise as a good mouse, and it just feels really nice. Same thing with knobs and graphics tablets, though it's not a use case I have personally. A dedicated peripheral is probably more powerful and precise, but sometimes it's nice to use your laptop from your lap.
oh-4-fucks-sake 6y ago
Agree that efficient development (regardless of IDE/editor) is done best using primarily keyboard. Also agree that detached keyboards and mice will almost always be superior to their on-board counterparts. But, I think we're being a wee bit cognitively dissonant if we tell ourselves notebook keyboards and trackpads don't receive a non-trivial amount of use--even from the best of us. Even more, why are keyboard and external-mouse purists even bothered with even owning a laptop if they rarely/ever intend to use the most major distinguishing features that separate them from desktops in the first place? But even if you don't agree with any of that, why shouldn't we still demand a damn-good version of a highly ubiquitous tool, even if we don't personally use it that often? (Especially since Apple has proven that it's possible.) On HN (and the rest of the dev community) are perhaps the most demanding critics of anything technology. "Server starts up 8% slower!--dogshit!" "New release consumes 5% more memory--are you kidding me!" "Battery lasts 25m shorter--I'm in tears!" "The new theme is highly disruptive to my workflow--OH THE HUMANITY." I'm not being critical of our being sticklers. We should be! That's our job! Our fellow devs care about quality; our users care about quality. We should care about what our users care about. We have the voices and power to advocate for good products for all that use technology. The trackpad will be a major way people interact with computers for a long time to come and I'm not prepared to hand-wave away the mediocre.

the_hoser 6y ago

When done right, they're wonderful. When done wrong, you end up creating custom keybindings to augment your workflow and lug a mouse around when that doesn't cut it. I've never seen a PC laptop do it right.

sixothree 6y ago

Let me introduce you to the developers whose primary machine is a laptop without a mouse. Or a second screen.

Brakenshire 6y ago
I actually use the touchpad for scrolling even when I’m using a mouse. It’s a much better interface for that purpose.
- medstrom 6y ago
  Now I'm picturing a fat tungsten scrollwheel with a lot of inertia, that keeps spinning after you roll it.
dingaling 6y ago
We used to have a far better solution for that, the pointer stick on Dell and IBM laptops. Direct control over the cursor without abrading your sweaty dirty finger skin over a frictive surface.
- BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
  > a far better solution for that, the pointer stick on Dell and IBM laptops. Please search the web for "trackpoint drift".
  - hackyhacky 6y ago
    This is not a problem on modern ThinkPads.
    - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
      > This is not a problem on modern ThinkPads. Funny, because I see people complaining about it still in 2020 on brand new Thinkpads. See for instance https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/ken18b/does_your_trackpoint_cause_pointer_drift/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/ken18b/does_your_... and the comments saying "They all drift, it's inherent by the sensor design", "It drifts on all my ThinkPads too", "Mine sometimes drifts". So unless your definition of modern is "ones that haven't been released yet", I think you might be wrong.
  - davidy123 6y ago
    I've been a Trackpoint addict for over 20 years, using computers 8+ hours a day. I wouldn't consider any other pointer method. Trackpoint drift is an issue, but it's not really a big problem. A few times a month, it happens for a few seconds, then it works itself out. I have had episodes of cramping, but they've gone away with no long term impact. It may be that I've become more zen/accepting, because I'm sure a mouse or trackpad can be more precise pointing tools, but it's worth it for the connection. Input is all about the keyboard and mouse, and the proximity just makes so much sense, especially when using vim mode. I could imagine better systems where typing with a keyboard is still the main input, but they would all involve not taking my hands off the home row.
airbreather 6y ago
Ha, no second screen, next you will be telling me you made it yourself out of rocks and sand.
- sixothree 6y ago
  To be fair, I am not describing myself. I have 4 monitors across three machines in my office.

meetups323 6y ago

For general working, trackpad is better. You can type and move the mouse without moving your hands.

dublinben 6y ago
Did you mean a trackpoint? How can you type and move the mouse without moving your hands with a trackpad?
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  Not sure what you're confused about - your hand can hover over the keyboard and trackpad at the same time - they're right next to each other. I don't need to move my hands to go from one to another?
- losvedir 6y ago
  Use your thumbs. The track pad is right below the space bar. Or, it's close enough that with hovering hands you can move back and forth between keys without looking. It's much faster to navigate a code base that way, I think, than trying to jump in vim lines at a time. A smooth, continuous scroll at easily controllable, different speeds does wonders for keeping continuity of a file in mind.
  - boogies 6y ago
    > easily controllable, different speeds This is why I like having not just ^f/b full page, {}() paragraph and sentence, and of course j/k line scrolling but also ^u/d half-page scrolling so much that I mapped them it U and D in Zathura and Pentadactyl just for the centimeter of finger movement that saves.
    - meetups323 6y ago
      The funny thing is (){} are much further from where your fingers are at home than the track pad is from your thumbs on space.

spaetzleesser 6y ago

I had the same opinion until I used a MacBook. The trackpad works beautifully, the gestures make sense. It’s close to perfect. Even while on a docking station at my work desk I either the MacBook trackpad or the Magic Trackpad.

kayodelycaon 6y ago

> I’ve never understood why people care so much about trackpads. Because most people don't use vim and mice aren't usable unless you're sitting at a flat surface with the room to hold one. If I'm using my laptop on the couch, a trackpad is probably the best solution. (Trackpoint gave my index finger RSI, when I was was being careful.)

neilparikh 6y ago
> mice aren't usable unless you're sitting at a flat surface with the room to hold one Trackball mice a good solution to this problem. I had work on a bed without a table for 2 weeks last year, and a trackball mouse ended up working great (I didn't like using the trackpad, since switching from the keyboard to trackpad on a laptop is fairly uncomfortable if you do it often enough).
- BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
  > a trackball mouse ended up working great (I didn't like using the trackpad, since switching from the keyboard to trackpad on a laptop is fairly uncomfortable Switching from the keyboard to something an inch away is uncomfortable for you, but switching from the keyboard to something a foot away is not? I don't get it.
  - kayodelycaon 6y ago
    The angle on the trackpad can be uncomfortable when it’s sitting on your lap.
    - BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
      I find that the larger trackpads on newer macbooks help with this a lot because the upper right corner of the pad is easily accessible at exactly the same angle of inward rotation by just pulling your elbow back along the side of your body. The Apple magic, I guess, is being able to have that without constant phantom palm touches. See https://imgur.com/a/qeRQIFD https://imgur.com/a/qeRQIFD An offset trackpad would also work, though obviously would be less friendly to lefties.

reaperducer 6y ago

my point is that most tasks are either ① best done in a good text editing / development environment Your point is only correct if you replace the word "most" with "my." The fact that trackpads are hugely popular indicates that your needs are not typical, and you should not impose your choices upon others with different needs. would be better done with a specialized non-keyboard, non-trackpad input device Show me a better multi-purpose input device that I can use to rotate objects on a screen. Or zoom into a specific object without affecting other objects on a screen. Or configure to have multiple hotspots that when tapped can trigger events or macros. Again, trackpads aren't your thing. Good for you. Other people love them, and millions of people get real work done on them each day.

boogies 6y ago
>Your point is only correct if you replace the word "most" with "my." The fact that trackpads are hugely popular indicates that your needs are not typical, and you should not impose your choices upon others with different needs. But Apple trackpads are not hugely popular, they have a fraction (~10%, likely less) of the global market. Does the fact that non-Apple computers are hugely popular indicate that the needs of Apple trackpad fans are not typical, and they should not extol their virtues to others? > Show me a better multi-purpose input device that I can use to rotate objects on a screen. Or zoom into a specific object without affecting other objects on a screen. Or configure to have multiple hotspots that when tapped can trigger events or macros. I’ve previously used a normal Apple mouse and keyboard to do all of these things in Adobe Photoshoshop and Illustrator on macOS and subsequently a random BestBuy mouse and ancient Compaq keyboard to do them in Gimp, Inkscape, and Blender on GNU (with xdotool for hot corners, which I’m counting as close enough to tapping hotspots). A graphics tablet would only work better. > Again, trackpads aren't your thing. Good for you. Other people love them, and millions of people get real work done on them each day. Again, non-Apple trackpads don’t seem to be your thing. Good for you. The majority of trackpad users use them every day.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  I’ve previously used a normal Apple Magic mouse and keyboard to do all of these things If you've used a Magic Mouse, then you've used a mouse with a trackpad on its back. Glad you liked it! And no, rotating in Photoshop with the keyboard isn't the same as rotating with a trackpad. It's an entirely different process that is significantly less efficient, unless you already know the exact angle of rotation you want down to the 0.1°.

throwaway894345 6y ago

> Trackpad vs keyboard ¿Por que no los dos? Seriously, I wasn't talking about replacing my keyboard with a trackpad. They are different devices with different purposes and are intended to be used together.

dopu 6y ago

In my day job I'm constantly reading PDFs. Being able to zoom in/out, scroll, and move the cursor with such low effort can even bring me a little bit of joy. It's not really about what is most efficient. Computing should feel good. That's why it's hard for me to move away from Apple's trackpads.

boogies 6y ago
> a little bit of joy is a good description of what I feel reading PDFs efficiently, near effortlessly (which to me is near the same thing), and comfortably (also similar in that it involves minimal reaching, but also includes automatic semi-smart dark theming, easy good zooming, etc.) with Zathura.

BugsJustFindMe 6y ago

> I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. ... would be better done with a specialized non-keyboard, non-trackpad input device So you want a specialized input devices for every task on a mobile device. That's an interesting choice. And I guess you also want to carry all these specialized devices around with you? > browsing¹, which IMO should be a slightly glorified text task where Pentadacyl/luakit/qutebrowser/etc.² vi-style keybindings³ are best Ok. Say you see a headline on HN that looks interesting, and you go to click on it. Wait, no, you...uhh...tab tab tab tab tab over to it and press enter to go to the comments page (like we all do) and start reading the comments. And, oh look, you want to respond to one of them. So you...uhh...tab tab...uhh...tab...tab tab tab tab tab tab tab...tab tab? Or you could just point and click. Your proposed critical tasks of shifting the viewport and appending text to the current cursor location meet approximately 0% of computing user needs. The vast majority of all computer interaction is putting the cursor in the right place in the first place. The keyboard is terrible for that, external devices encumber portability, vertical touch screens require significant muscle control and effort, and trackpoints drift and do fewer things while being worse at all of them.

boogies 6y ago
> uhh...tab tab tab tab tab Please take a minute to type the name of any of the browsers I named into your favourite search engine or package manager and return when you know what we’re talking about. (This comment was made via Pentadactyl). > The vast majority of all computer interaction is putting the cursor in the right place in the first place. This is why it pains me to use browsers where I can’t tap [count]gi to focus input fields.
- BugsJustFindMe 6y ago
  > This comment was made via Pentadactyl Enlighten us all. What exactly did you press and what mental decision and awareness process was required to do it starting from the front page? > [count]gi "[count]" sounds like one would need to know how many like things on the page precede the thing you're trying to get to. Thanks but no thanks. 150! Oops, 100! Oops, 130!

GuB-42 6y ago

A friend of mine is a professional photographer, he is using his trackpad to process and edit his pictures. Hundreds of them per session. And it's not like he can't afford a mouse or even specialized hardware. And having tried Apple touchpads, they are actually good, so much that they released a standalone version for desktop computers. On every PC I have tried, at best, they provide you with a pointing device in case using a mouse is impractical. I don't intend to buy a Mac for several reason but I have to admit that their trackpads are not in the same league.

PhasmaFelis 6y ago

> I’ve never understood why people⁰ care so much about trackpads. Because it's nice to be able to use my laptop without having to find a tabletop and dig out my mouse. In bed, on the couch, on a bus, as a passenger in a car. Smartphones have taken over a lot of those situations, but a small laptop is still much better for a lot of tasks. I don't use Macs anymore, but their touchpads are actually as precise as a good mouse, and it just feels really nice. Same thing with knobs and graphics tablets, though it's not a use case I have personally. A dedicated peripheral is probably more powerful and precise, but sometimes it's nice to use your laptop from your lap.

oh-4-fucks-sake 6y ago

Agree that efficient development (regardless of IDE/editor) is done best using primarily keyboard. Also agree that detached keyboards and mice will almost always be superior to their on-board counterparts. But, I think we're being a wee bit cognitively dissonant if we tell ourselves notebook keyboards and trackpads don't receive a non-trivial amount of use--even from the best of us. Even more, why are keyboard and external-mouse purists even bothered with even owning a laptop if they rarely/ever intend to use the most major distinguishing features that separate them from desktops in the first place? But even if you don't agree with any of that, why shouldn't we still demand a damn-good version of a highly ubiquitous tool, even if we don't personally use it that often? (Especially since Apple has proven that it's possible.) On HN (and the rest of the dev community) are perhaps the most demanding critics of anything technology. "Server starts up 8% slower!--dogshit!" "New release consumes 5% more memory--are you kidding me!" "Battery lasts 25m shorter--I'm in tears!" "The new theme is highly disruptive to my workflow--OH THE HUMANITY." I'm not being critical of our being sticklers. We should be! That's our job! Our fellow devs care about quality; our users care about quality. We should care about what our users care about. We have the voices and power to advocate for good products for all that use technology. The trackpad will be a major way people interact with computers for a long time to come and I'm not prepared to hand-wave away the mediocre.