The first computer I owned with a mouse was a Compaq DeskPro 286 with a brick of a mouse. I remember not using that mouse for all that much as I wasn't able to run a GUI such as Windows, so only a few programs could make use of it.
Cartooners was one of those which I fondly remember playing around in. Although because the mouse was worn or or broken I had to put the mouse mat on a 30 degree tilt for it to work reliably!
It was only when I got a Toshiba T4700CT laptop which could run Windows that I really started to make regular use of a mouse, mainly because I had a machine that had enough grunt to run Windows
Computing in general felt like more of an unexplored frontier in those day with the industry feeling it's way along and discovering what worked the best and could be standardised.
Many of the laptops of that era had those horrible little nubs in the keyboard that acted as pointer devices. No matter how many times I tried to get used to that style I always failed, finding them extremely inprecise and irritating to use.
By comparison I grew to really love the BallPoint device on my laptop developing techniques such as throwing some momentum into the ball so it would fast across the screen with a flick of my thumb.
I always found it worked well for detail work and was able to use it for precise movement when required. The placement of the device on the laptop also felt well considered from an ergonomic perspective.
All in all it's fair to say that I really enjoyed using the device and quite missed it when I finally moved on from that much loved laptop.
Many years later I was chatting with someone who was telling me how much they enjoyed using their Logitech MX Ergo mouse. When they showed me a picture of it I was instantly intrigued.
I'd seen quite a few of these trackball style mice over the years, but they'd never seem very mainstream and a little quirky. However here was a premium device from the master of peripherals itself, Logitech.
After reading a few reviews it seemed like it was a well regarded device and the strength of my nostalgia quickly pushed me into a purchase. It certainly wasn't a cheap device, but I convinced myself it was an investment I would enjoy for many years to come.
I've found the Ergo a really great fit when using my standing desk. It feels more precise and easier to use than a standard mouse. It also brings me a lot of joy to be able to use a trackball on a daily basis for my work.
After using it for the past year I decided to dig out my old Toshiba laptop to see how the older BallPoint version felt by comparison.
Unsurprisingly the older device feels a lot smaller and lightweight than I remember. Having been using the quite large and premium Logitech device more recently, I've got used to that being the standard.
Flicking the ball on the older device isn't as easy as I remember it being. The ball itself it lighter and the level of friction higher. However the screen on the T4700CT is only 640 x 480, meaning that there was less screen space that had to be navigated.
Revisiting the past can often be quite bittersweet. What once seemed magical and special can sometimes feel less impressive when viewed through older eyes.
Whenever I cup that old BallPoint device in my hand I can easily remember the joy and wonder I felt exploring the early era of Windows 95 and the internet on that laptop.
Although my newer Ergo is a far more functional and premium device, without this initial foundational I wonder if I would feel so inclined to make use of a such a device today.
For those who like to navigation with a flick of their thumb instead of their wrist, I would very much recommended the MX Ergo.
