Mouse Response in OS X

[PapaJosh]

I'm using a Logitech Optical Mouse (USB of course) as the mouse for my TiBook. I've noticed that in OS X it seems that the mouse resolution or refresh rate is really low. Now, mind you, it's not the speed of the mouse that bothers me (I know you can set that higher if you want), but the responsiveness of the mouse. It seems almost sluggish, and that problem has been addressed on my PC by changing the refresh rate for the USB and/or PS/2 port that the mouse is attached to. Even the mouse of my G3/300 iMac is more responsive...what gives? Do the laptops not like external mice? Anybody notice the same thing?

[Phil St. Romain]

Logitech Optical mouse, here on a Pismo 500, and it works very well: I didn't even have to install a driver for it.

I'm using the 29.95 version and not the 19.95 one. Maybe that makes a difference?

[Brad Nelson]

PJ, you might be describing the same thing with your Logitech mouse that has vexed me. It's a bit hard to describe because, as you said, it's not just the speed of the mouse. Ever since 10.1 the way the mouse works for me is that it seems to have a consistent speed when moving the mouse briskly, but when you slow down to home in on a target the movement becomes slower. The end result is that it feels sluggish and hard to control. I find myself almost throwing the mouse at the target so that I can hit it and avoid as much of the "slow tracking" problem as I can. It's not your imagination and it's something that no editing of mouse preferences has ever fixed for me.

[PapaJosh]

That's exactly what I'm experiencing. I can move the mouse to my PC or my iMac, and I don't have the problem. I've also tried three different mice (the $30 logitech, the $20 Logitech, and the optical mac mouse) with no change. It would seem that it's an issue with the OS and the TiBook...=( I'm very picky when it comes to my mouse, so it's a little frustrating...

[mervTormel]

have you tried mouseZoom ?

http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=12205&db=mac

perhaps just a little tweaking might help.

[williamscody]

Just curious - are you perhaps also seeing "sloppy mouse clicks" in Internet Explorer?

(See my thread concerning this problem under the "Applications" section of this forum.)

[Brad Nelson]

have you tried mouseZoom ?

I have. And it does fix one problem that I think many people have, and that is that the maximum speed setting in the System Preference is still too slow. MouseZoom helps with this but not with the other weird tracking speed problem.

[Brad Nelson]

That's exactly what I'm experiencing.

Okay. I went back and found an old trick that never worked for me before but now it does. You need to edit the user/library/preferences/.globalpreferences.plist. This file is invisible. What I did was open it with SNAX (it can show invisible files) by dragging the pref file onto TextEdit's Dock icon. You could also use TinkerTool to make the file visible or perhaps do the whole thing in the Terminal.

Look for a couple lines that looks like this:
<key>com.apple.mouse.scaling</key>
<real>1.000000000000000e+00</real>
[the first digits might be "1.7" or something depending on how you've got your mouse speed set]

Change the last part to look like this:
<real>1.000000000000000e+05</real>

This should bring the acceleration tracking curve to "normal." You can try changing the first part to speed up the mouse like this:
<real>4.500000000000000e+05</real>

You need to log out for the changes to take effect. If you go to the mouse System Preference and change a thing it will overwrite your changes and you're back to square one. I'm not sure that I've had much success in changing the mouse speed but the more annoying thing, the weird acceleratin curve, is fixed.

[PapaJosh]

=( that didn't really do the trick for me...

[Brad Nelson]

Originally posted by PapaJosh
=( that didn't really do the trick for me...

Well, I have to admit it is voodoo at this point. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it's doesn't. I can achieve the "proper" acceleration effect but then can't get the overall speed of the mouse to work. It seems it's one or the other. However I just read that the author of MouseZoom might include a fix for both speed and acceleration in his next version.

[PapaJosh]

Brad,

I created a small application that disables mouse scaling. Let me know if you want me to send it to you...For my next trick, I'll create one where you can actually set up the mouse scaling table...=)

[Brad Nelson]

I created a small application that disables mouse scaling. Let me know if you want me to send it to you...For my next trick, I'll create one where you can actually set up the mouse scaling table...

You're joking, of course. That's like someone coming up to me and saying "I've got this extra Corvette I don't really need. Would you like it?" Wow. Please do send it along to bnelson@oz.net and I'll gladly try it. Thanks.

With the application you have in mind for later, if you can speed up the mouse while disabling (or being able to adjust) the mouse scaling you will have a great shareware product. :)

[vegeman]

It sounds like we are all talking about the same thing. I have G4/867 and I have also tried several mice and they just don't 'feel' as accurate as they should be and I think we are all correct in ascertaining the problem.

It feels like 2 things.

1. the refresh rate is too slow
2. the accelerating curves are naffed. using mousezoom, usb overdrive etc only exacerbate (that was hard to spell) the problem, although I do use mousezoom to give me that little more acceleration.

Having a patch won't work for me as games like quake reset the mouse so we are stuffed everytime.

I came to this forum to see if anyone was using the new wireless opticals from both M$ and Logitech AND HOPING that they had OSX support. Then hoping that their drivers will replace the crap ones in the this build of OSX as I looks like that would be the only way to get it functioning as it does in OS9 or heaven forbid the same as a PC.

When I get other people to use my beloved computer...I hate them telling me my mouse does work properly (instead of blaiming the OS and loosing face) I simply explain that my several years old Interex wheel mouse has suffered under to many hours at quake3. which BTW kicks butt..

Some people will notice the sloppyness or unnatural movement and some won't....unfortunately we do and its a pain in the preverable (another great word).

I was curious if the Apple optical works?...I can't be shagged getting out the box and I can't cope with one button anyway.

I'll contact Logitech and see if the have any releases for OSX..unless somebody knows

Thanks for sharing my pain :-)

[vegeman]

check out this info on

http://www.thinksecret.com/features/msmousex/

it maybe the only way forward for now

[arondaniel]

Hello, OSX newbee here.

I also find the mouse motion very difficult to control effectively. Like others on this thread, I prefer a mouse action with a pretty fast unaccelerated base speed.

On the mac, at base speed, the pointer seems to move slower on the screen than the mouse on the mousepad! That is not acceptable. For me, a sloooooowwwww drag of the mouse from one end of the mousepad to the other should move the pointer across the entire screen.

I can't wait to get home and try the suggestions here!!!

[CanWeBowlPlease]

I'm frustrated with this too... I've been on Macs for 3 months now and am still infuriated by this problem. I tried USB Overdrive and found it useless... thanks to this post I found MouseZoom and I think this helped a little bit. The acceleration issue is still there, but a setting of 5.0 ("Uber Fast") works for me - I no longer feel like I'm dragging the pointer through mud.

I hope somebody comes up with a real fix for this soon.

[DerBesserwisser]

I just switched from Windows to Mac and had the difficulties with the mouse described above.
To me it seems that the whole problem is the acceleration/speed settings. The preferences in OSX only allow you to set a very low speed and a very high acceleration.
Using USB Overdrive I put an acceleration somewhere between 20 and 50% and a speed of 120dpi (indicated as "very fast"). That did the trick for me.
->I'm using a powerbook g4 with something like 1200x850.

regards
Tino

For me it just feels strange to buy an extra software to be able to use the mouse properly! Crazy, isnt it?

[Leeww]

Same here!!!

I am a long time Mac user (this old fella' used to be a proud owner of a II FX !!).

I have recently moved to a G5 OSX 10.4.2 from a G4 OS 9.2 and the accuracy has gone out the window, I feel like I am using a stick in mud at slow speeds and a skating on ice at faster speeds.

I would not go as far to say it is unusable, but it is certainly (for me at least) a massive step down in usability.

It is the single biggest problem I am suffering on my new mac.

I hate it. :mad:

Lee

[Gary King]

I have had this problem for a long time now, too :(

[carson4k]

I just got a brand new dual core G5 with Tiger......The slugish, bad tracking, inaccurate mouse problem is driving me crazy.

I'm a graphic designer and I need to be accurate with the mouse.

Interesting that my PC beside me doesn't have this problem.

I went out and got a Logitech Optical Mouse, tried several mouse pads and have installed mousezoom. Mousezoom has helped with the speed but it hasn't helped the inaccuracy at all.....

My wrist is really starting the hurt....PLEASE does anyone have an idea?

[hayne]

I just got a brand new dual core G5 with Tiger......The slugish, bad tracking, inaccurate mouse problem is driving me crazy.
Bad tracking is not something I've heard anyone complain about before. That is assuming you mean that the mouse pointer on screen doesn't keep up with where it actually is located.
The other things are subjective - as you see from the above comments, and are usually the result of being used to a different acceleration curve.

The first thing you should do is try another Mac - e.g. one at an Apple Store - to see if your machine is behaving normally.

[MBHockey]

SteerMouse, available on Macupdate, fixed this for me.

I think the problem is mouse acceleration...and i disabled that completely with SteerMouse.

No more exponential slow downs as i slow down the cursor to move in on a click.

Edit: I actually set the acceleration to the smallest amount (0.01) and that seems to work as expected.

[MarkRHolbrook]

Same here!!!

I am a long time Mac user (this old fella' used to be a proud owner of a II FX !!).

I have recently moved to a G5 OSX 10.4.2 from a G4 OS 9.2 and the accuracy has gone out the window, I feel like I am using a stick in mud at slow speeds and a skating on ice at faster speeds.

I would not go as far to say it is unusable, but it is certainly (for me at least) a massive step down in usability.

It is the single biggest problem I am suffering on my new mac.

I hate it. :mad:

Lee

Well my first Mac was a Mac Classic followed by a IIci. After the IIci I got sucked kicking and screaming into the windows world. I finally got back to Macs with my Powerbook G4 here. Lovin it.

[MBHockey]

I just uninstalled SteerMouse temporarily...and i couldn't believe how unbelievably awful the native OS X tracking is.

It was so bad when i uninstalled it and rebooted (since i was considering not paying $20 for it) that i immediately re-downloaded it, paid $20 via PayPal, and reconfigured all my settings.

So please...if you are having problems with your mouse, give SteerMouse (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19058) a shot.

[ox4dboy]

Greetings all,

I am happy with the speed of my mouse - I use the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer - my problem is that the left button is VEEEEEERRRRY slow to respond to my click. I have to hold down the button for a full second or more before the click takes place. The right button works instantly, so I am guessing this is hardware failure?

It's almost like there is an accessibility feature setting applied that a physically disabled person would have to prevent accidental clicks. I tried setting the double-click peed in the IntelliMouser settings, but it is just not working.

Anybody else have this problem with their IntelliMouse?

[MBHockey]

I had a problem with an MS mouse that i had its middle button hooked up to Exposé and there was a noticeable delay between clicking it and having the windows tile.

Yours seems more extreme, and sounds like a hardware problem. Was it always like this? Is this a new mouse?

I returned my MS mouse for a Logitech MX 500.

[ox4dboy]

This mouse is about 2 years old. I plugged it into a Dell testing machine I have here and the button is lagging in Windows too, so I know it is not an OS or Mac issue.

It appears to be a broken mouse, which is a shame becaues I really like this mouse...liked this mouse, that is. I will look into the Logitech MX 500 you mentioned...hopefully they have one at a store near by.

It's like Murphy's law. I just got a new freelance job touching up a damaged photo for a client and now my mouse is toasted? Could you imagine removing wrinkles, spots, and tears with a mouse button than requires 2 seconds to respond to a click.

[ox4dboy]

OK, so, I just got back from Office Depot with my new Logitech MX 1000, and my initial response to his mosue is that it is great!

The software CD that comes with the mouse is for Windoesn't only, so no need to use the CD. Infact, you don't even need to open the CD package, unless you need the setup directions, which most likely you won't since it is pretty simple - plug and play - for the most part.

I was looking for the MX 500, or 10, but Office Depot did not have either, this was the only Logitech mosue they had. It was very pricey in my opinion at $79 (!!!) but I needed a mouse and I needed a (hopefully) good mouse, and i needed it it rightn now. I'm not usre any moue cna live up to such a price tag, but we'll see. It's suppsoed to be 20x more accurat than an optical mouse...we'll see about that too.

Compared to my old MS IntelliMouse, this mouse definitely has a nice German engineered feel to it, like getting into and driving a VW for the first time...unfortunately, in the case of a mouse, it has a german engineered price tag too.

It's too early to tell if I will really like (or keep) this mouse, but so far so good. Keep in mind it has only been about 15 minutes since I plugded it in.