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Daily Update: M.M.O 7 Gaming Mouse
So you’ve been waiting to hear how I like my mouse, aren’t you? I’ve been using it for a while now and you’d like to know, as a programmer, what I think about this mouse. Here are my thoughts after using is and setting it up for a while.
I think I have a new right hand.
No, really. This mouse has a good number of buttons and they’re all accessible. A majority of them are for the thumb and the shift key on the ring finger doubles the number of thumb buttons. Have I programmed all possible combinations yet? No, I haven’t. I have programmed a lot of buttons right off the bat, then forgot some of the ones I programmed. That’s easy to do as I wasn’t using those buttons that often. Yes, I could be using the keyboard shortcuts for many of these commands, but it’s nice to have them all on my mouse.
A quick summary of what I’ve programmed so far.
I reversed the back and forward buttons (it’s just me)
Copy, paste, cut, select all (on the joystick)
Screen shot (on the joystick press)
Alt+tab on the flap button
Enter on the front thumb button, delete on the back thumb button.
Refresh (Ctrl+f5) on the scroll wheel click
Undo on thumb wheel up
Redo on thumbwheel down
With the shift key:
Shift+Enter on the front thumb button
Backspace on the back thumb button
Refresh CVS on the wheel click
Update CVS on the flap button
Commit CVS on the joystick press
That’s what I’ve got so far. I know I’m underutilizing the device but I’m always looking for more key combinations that I do on a regular basis and I’ll look at programming a button for that. For example I still need a CTRL+F (Find) as this is something that I use often, I just haven’t figure out which button to assign that to that’ll make the most sense.
From my experience so far, I don’t know how I lived without this mouse. Yes, I know it’s lazy to think about using a single mouse click to perform a two key combination, but I’m looking at it more that I can do these things faster with one hand than multiple fingers. I’ve had a blast setting it up, I’m having even more fun using it on a daily basis. It’s one of those things that once you get used to it, it’s really easy to use. Like any new device, it takes time learning how to use it, but once you’re used to it and no longer afraid to try something different with it, you wonder how you ever lived without it. I know I’ll be doing more and more with it as time goes on. There are so many possibilities I just need to do it one button at a time.
Now I also got a hold of the Razer Nostromo. I still haven’t fully programmed it. Well, that’s a lie. I programmed several buttons to do multiple things, but it’s not like the mouse where I use it all day every day. I’m still getting used to what it can do and to putting my hand over there instead of on the keyboard. 20 years of sitting at a computer it’s hard to get out of the habit of one hand on the mouse and one hand on the keyboard. Old habits die hard and it’ll take more time to get used to putting my left hand on the Nostromo. Again, with time I’ll get used to both devices. Then I’ll be dangerous. I’ll do a full run down of what I do with the Nostormo another day.
On the writing front, I’ve been hunting and pecking a little here and a little there. I hope to find a good block of time later today to get a nice chunk done. We’ll see how that goes and I’ll report back tomorrow.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: I have new toys!
I hit my 225,000 word goal ahead of schedule. Not just ahead of schedule, but a whole month ahead of schedule. I’m super excited about that. Of Gnomes and Dwarves is coming along so nicely. I’m very happy with not only how fast I’m getting it written, but how well I feel I’m writing it. I’m sure I’ve got errors and mistakes, and probably a continuity error or two, but using Scrivener I know it’ll be easy editing. If I need to move something around, it’ll be a piece of cake.
So having hit my goal yesterday, I allowed myself to open up the package that arrived and dig into its contents. When I say it took all my willpower not to open them, I’m not kidding. I wasn’t even going to open the amazon box until I had hit my word count. I couldn’t hold back and I had to tear into the box just to see them. I left them sitting there, taunting me, challenging me to hit my word count.
To compound my frustration I had to work, go to my favorite daughter’s volleyball practice after school, do some house work, take my favorite daughter to her regularly scheduled volleyball practice, book a hotel for tonight (she has her last away game this weekend) and still get my writing done.
I hit my word goal, plugged in the devices, and I’ve been happy ever since. OMFG! How did I live without these before? I spent an hour this morning programming the mouse buttons. Now all the tasks that I normally do with multiple keystrokes of key combinations I can do with a movement of my thumb or a click of a button. I made a macro that opens up all the applications that I need open at the start of the day. One click. I have a button that will auto fill forms for me with specific information. Programming either of these is a breeze! The only complaint I have so far is once I set up a macro, I cannot add something in the middle or reorder the items in the list. I must delete and rerecord. But hey, that’s a minor thing.
So you’ve looked at the picture, here’s what I got as my half-way goal prizes!
1) The Cyborg M.M.O. 7 gaming mouse
3) The Steelseries 4D mouse surface.
I could not be happier at this point with my purchases. I’ve only scratched the surface with what these tools can do for me. I know as time goes on I’ll be doing more and more with them. I just need to give me hands time to adjust to them. But seriously, I could NOT be happier with my purchases. That was the main reason for getting them. To give me a moment of happiness. Heck, this moment will last a LONG time.
I bought these to use mainly with work. Obviously when I’m writing, I’m doing just that; writing. I don’t need anything else other than the keyboard and (now) Scrivener. I don’t know how I got by with Scrivener before either. But when it comes to work, I’m a programmer. I use my mouse all day every day. I wanted something that did more than just point and click and I found that mouse. This one is larger than I’m used to, but I’m quickly adapting. The gamepad, on the other hand (literally) is currently being used for multi-key commands that I used infrequently. I’m sure as I get used to having it, I’ll discover more and more that I can do with it. I can attach ‘run’ command and execute .BAT files to execute really complex commands, open programs, launch web pages, heck, basically anything I need to do. I’ll keep you posted as to how I set these up.
Am I excited about my new toys? You betcha. Will I get full use out of them? Time will tell but I’m guessing not because I’m not a gamer. At some point in my life I might pick up gaming again and I’ll be happy I have these devices.
Welcome to June! I hope you have an awesome day. Some ducks flapped by my window this morning, but I didn’t get a picture of them. Perhaps tomorrow!
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
J.R. Murdock 