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Comment by zackola | Hacker News Reader

I'd say try becoming ambidextrous with the mouse, and switch hands every month or so.

And under Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts make sure Full Keyboard Access is on 'All Controls' so you can focus/select buttons with tab.

Also, make that useless Caps Lock key into Ctrl :)

Ctrl+F2 = Access Menu bar Ctrl+F3 = Access Dock

I will give someone 1 american dollar if they can tell me how to get menu bar selections to wrap back around to the top when I get to the bottom of the menu.

EDIT - the magic mouse has been fantastic for eliminating the need for precise clicking when scrolling - that swipe to scroll feature is amazing, especially in tabular apps like Sequel Pro and Excel.

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I did the same thing (full keyboard access and Caps Lock=>Ctrl), so I don't have much to add.

For your question, I just noticed you can use Page Up/Down to go to the top/bottom of the menu.

Is there a way to select which functions keys should work as function keys and which one work as the Apple special keys (Exposé, volume control…)? The reason I ask is that I always found it inconvenient to use shortcuts like Ctrl+F2 because I have to move my hand much more to get to the fn key. But at the same time, Exposé is too useful to be left behind it.

I'm not sure if this helps in your particular case, but I believe some of Exposé's functions are mapped to four-fingered multitouch swipe gestures on the touchpad (up and down).

Thanks, but yeah, in my case, it doesn't work since my MacBook is too old to support it. But I tried it and it seemed very useful indeed.

It's interesting that you mention the magic mouse. I switched to a Mac about 2 months ago and can't believe how uncomfortable the magic mouse is. Apple understand aesthetics but obviously haven't a clue about ergonomics. I've reverted to my 10 year old Logitech trackball although I do miss the fast smooth scrolling of the magic mouse.

Any suggestions for a better trackball or did all innovation cease 10 years ago?

Not quite a trackball, but apple released a separate track pad not that long ago. There are two input devices that Apple does way better than most - keyboards and trackpads. Magic mouse was a complete disaster, unfortunately.

I'm not sure if trackpads have the same ergonomic properties as a trackball. It's possible but I might wait and see if any research or anecdotal evidence emerges

Chalk me up for anecdotally noticing a huge improvement when switching to the touchpad.

It's worth noting that the Apple trackpad is not only way bigger than a laptop's touchpad, it's also angled so you're not resting your hand on its edge. Also, if you've never used an Apple touchpad on a recent Macbook/Pro (the ones that are glass instead of plastic), you'll probably be surprised at how good the accuracy/tracking. They're much better quality than the Synaptics touchpads that are common in PCs.

I find myself supporing my fingers over my Magic Trackpad, which is tiring. At the very least I have to raise all my fingers except the ones I want to use in a gesture.

My other preferred device is a thumb-ball trackball. I have a logitech trackman, and the discontinued one from Microsoft. I find those much more comfortable, if a bit problematic for high precision. I just wish I could get a bluetooth one.

I have all of the input devices mentioned in this thread, and cannot find anything to compare to the old Kensington "Expert Mouse" track balls, with the heavy ball the size of a billiards ball, a scroll wheel around it, and 4 buttons.

The ball's diameter allows pinpoint accuracy when needed, the weight allows a flick with momentum to carry the cursor across two 30" screens, the scroll wheel is under your ring finger for simultaneous use.

That said, the recent magic trackpad is growing on me.

Love my Kensington Expert Mouse trackball. Much better than the thumb operated variety IMO.

IIRC the thumb operated ones are optimized for ergonomics while the finger operated ones for accuracy.

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