> An optical mouse is definitely A Good Thing. I just wonder what's taken them so long. I've had one working perfectly since '93, but when I tried to get one for a gift, I was told that they weren't made anymore. Anyway, the mousepad that came with it has a black grid on a white background printed on it, so presumably the red eye (mine has four) uses the same technique (or one related) as Sherlock Holmes used to calculate how fast his train was travelling, namely timing the interval at which telephone poles passed his window.

I use an Apple Pro Mouse, and I LOVE it! It's optical, so it works everywhere, except on transparent or reflective surfaces. (But then again, so does most optical mouses these days, I suppose.) It has no buttons -- or, rather, the whole mouse is one big button. This may sound strange, but it works surprisingly well -- even more so than ordinary mouse buttons, if you ask me. You can press basically anywhere in front of the middle of the mouse (it's hinged near the back, so it only moves in the front when you press it).

The only trouble is that it gets dirty pretty quickly. It's got a smooth translucent plastic surface, not the rugged type you find on ordinary beige computer plastic. This makes it look really cool, but it also makes it accumulate dirt (sweat and fat) from your fingers. Some people sweat more in their hands than others...

Travholt.