Why do mice have to be so long?

[Squeak]

I've often been irritated by the rear one third of normal computer mice. Why do they have to be so long? It keeps you from dragging the mouse further underneath your hand when performing a downward drag and thereby forcing you to lift and put down more often. Also it makes the mouse heavier.
Most normal mouse users use their fingers to handle the mouse, they don't rest the entire palm on the on it.
Historically it can be explained by all the mechanics that were in mice of yesteryear, but with today’s optical mice the extra length is completely superfluous.

 

[Guden Oden]

Dunno bout your mouse, but in mine there is batteries, electronics, recharging connectors and a button in the rear third of the mouse...

Just take a hacksaw to it and do a quick mod if you're so annoyed. Or bump the sensitivity setting a notch.

 

[Simon F]

I've often been irritated by the rear one third of normal computer mice.

Surely you mean the front... most (well, in fact all) real mice I've seen have their tail coming out of their rear.

Why do they have to be so long? It keeps you from dragging the mouse further underneath your hand when performing a downward drag and thereby forcing you to lift it and but it down more often. Also it makes the mouse heavier.

So perhaps you really want those manufacturers to rename their products "rats"?

 

[London Geezer]

I had the same problem, but now that i've got mouse sensitivity set up quite high, it's all cool. I hated the distance i had to move my hand to go wherever i wanted, now i can just move less than 2cm to go from one side to the other of the desktop...

 

[sytaylor]

Yeah just ramp your mouse sensitivity way up, no good for any noobs using your pc but makes life much more bareableif you have no problem throwing the mouse round like it was a slender woman

 

[London Geezer]

Yeah just ramp your mouse sensitivity way up, no good for any noobs using your pc but makes life much more bareableif you have no problem throwing the mouse round like it was a slender woman

True, i love seeing my boss working on my PC, he can't even see the cursor moving, drives him crazy!!!! old git!!!

 

[sytaylor]

My mother is the funniest, she moves the mouse while following it with her finger on the monitor.. then when she looks at the mouse to double click, looses her finger position and thus the pointer. This repeats until the double ckick is successful of the icon gets moved and im asked to help.

 

[Leto]

I agree, the top line logitechs are too big. I went from the old Logitech gaming mouse to Mx-900 and the gaming mouse was short and light, ofc mx 900 is stuffed with alot of tech but they could make it shorter with some effort.

 

[nutball]

Yeah I had to swap my Logitech cordless effort for a corded beastie. With the batteries in it the cordless mouse was too heavy and too tall, it was giving me carpal tunnel syndrome (or something similar).

 

[Guden Oden]

Always leave your wrist resting on the table when you hold a mouse, and then move it by nudging it with your fingers, not by the wrist or elbow. I've been mousing for over eighteen years now and no carpal tunnel shit because I'm smart enough to hold the thing correctly.

 

[Basic]

I don't mind them being as long as they are, if they just wasn't so high in the back end (for Simon, front end ). That's the main cause of pain for me. The high back end means that I have to bend my wrist backwards too much, and that's the most common reason for "mouse arm". (That's a direct translation of what it's called in Sweden, I'm talking about pain on the outer side of the under arm, near the elbow.)
(Yeah, yeah, I know there are other was to strain those muscles. I've got that kind of remarks from pretty much every guy I mentioned my mousearm to.)

My favourite mouse was the Logitech Mouseman plus. It was long enough that I could rest my whole hand on it, had a low back end, and the tilt to the side perfected the comfort. Too bad that the mousewheel gave up on me.

 

[nutball]

I don't mind them being as long as they are, if they just wasn't so high in the back end (for Simon, front end ). That's the main cause of pain for me. The high back end means that I have to bend my wrist backwards too much, and that's the most common reason for "mouse arm". (That's a direct translation of what it's called in Sweden, I'm talking about pain on the outer side of the under arm, near the elbow.)

Yeah this is the problem I have, if the mouse sits too far back in the palm of my hand, my wrist is bent a nearly 90 degrees, hence the pain.

(Yeah, yeah, I know there are other ways to strain those muscles. I've got that kind of remarks from pretty much every guy I mentioned my mousearm to.)

You see I don't have that problem. For me, that activity is a two-handed job, and I've got biceps like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Oh, the trials of life..,

 

[Squeak]

Yeah just ramp your mouse sensitivity way up, no good for any noobs using your pc but makes life much more bareableif you have no problem throwing the mouse round like it was a slender woman

It's all the way up and has always been. Are there anything you can do to further increase the exchange ratio (program or setting)?
But still, I would like a shorter mouse. Mice with the shape they have now, is simply bad design. There is absolutely no reason they have to be so long.
My ultimate mouse would be small and squarish, have four buttons and an isometric joystick instead of a wheel (better for scrolling fast and sideways). Anyone know a product with those features?

 

[_xxx_]

Squeak, how about this one?

 

[Leto]

Umm, MX-1000 is tall, long, big, organic shaped, 8 buttoned.

 

[_xxx_]

Yeah, but has all the features he required (except for the joystick...).

I prefere MS wireless optical 2.0 myself (being left-handed, there are no better options... )

 

[Guden Oden]

Yeah this is the problem I have, if the mouse sits too far back in the palm of my hand, my wrist is bent a nearly 90 degrees, hence the pain.

I'm at a loss of trying to picture how you keep your arm to manage a 90 degree angle in your wrist... The elbow is supposed to be pretty much on the same level as the mouse surface, not at shoulder height.