Yes. In my own experience, I used to use a version of the Thinkpad keyboard made for desktop computers —- I owned two, actually, the first manufactured by IBM,

Yes. In my own experience, I used to use a version of the Thinkpad keyboard made for desktop computers —- I owned two, actually, the first manufactured by IBM, the second by Lenovo -- and the trackpoint worked wonders for all the reasons you describe. (I stopped using those keyboards when I switched to Mac, but now that you've reminded me, I may look into getting a new one, if it's Mac-compatible.)