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Don't Buy Logitech

mason.kramer

mason.kramer

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 16, 2007
270
18
Watertown, MA
Logitech's driver software, the "Logitech Control Center" has, from at least July '07, consistently and frequently caused kernel panics in Mac OS X.

http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=mackb&message.id=480
http://daysofourmacbooks.blogspot.com/2007/07/update-logitech-control-center-wichtig.html
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071211110149837
http://daringfireball.net/2007/10/blue_in_the_face
http://blog.macromates.com/2007/logitech-control-center/

Let me be clear: the LCC software is a LEMON. The only way to get logitech peripherals working properly in OS is to buy a third party driver.

Don't make the same mistake I did, and plunk down $80 for a top of the line mouse and then have to waste time and money figuring out why your system is now broken. This is not the apple way.

Edit:

The latest posted driver is LCC 240 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/428/130&cl=us,en?osid=9&file=

In my own case, LCC240 did nothing.

For many, it actually got worse!

LCC240 is not a fix.

Edit:
Most of the posters below me have chimed in supporting logitech.

Astoundingly, none of them, except Silver-Fox, and maybe fanbrain, advocate installing the software that ships with the mouse.

They say things like:
"its been long known that the LLC is crap. i found this out myself. their mice are otherwise fine and Steermouse ($20) or USB Overdrive($20) work just fine."

"Logitech Control Center has worked just fine for me and the users in my department. I'd love to use it now but it [does something it shouldn't do that keeps me from using it]" (Admittedly, not the problem I am referring to)

"Just don't use their software, use an alternative instead."

"Who buys mice for the software... I've been buying Logitech for 5 years now. I buy their mice and use 3rd party software. I haven't touched LCC for 2.8 years now."

"I have NEVER installed Logitech's driver package"
Click to expand...

Only two people in this whole thread actually find LCC to be usable.
What they fail to mention is that, without LCC, you can't bind anything to your mouse except expose & dashboard functions. E.G., no browser-back and browser-forward buttons (LOL! Can you imagine?)
If you have a special input, for instance, one of the scroll-to-flywheel mice like the MX revolution, or the gyro functions of the MX air, you don't get to use them, even if you are willing to shell out for a third party driver.
Dems da facts. It seems that no one in this thread (at the time of my writing this edit) is disputing them.

One last edit:
By the way, I realized that I not only have the power to save somebody some money, but I can save somebody else some time. I've installed and configured USB Overdrive, ControllerMate, and SteerMate.

For my money, SteerMouse is best. It has a more intuitive interface for application scoped bindings, it has a mode that makes it easy to identify which button on your mouse is "button #13", and it is still under active development. It has fine grain control over acceleration and tracking speed. Extra points for coming PRE CONFIGURED with sensible bindings in place (this is the Apple Way). And even MORE extra points for including a terminal command in the documentation that lets me get back logitech's proprietary flywheel action with my MX revolution. No offense to the developer who writes USB Overdrive "in his spare time", but his app is bush-league by comparison.

ControllerMate is interesting, but it took me almost an hour to configure my mouse with a simple configuration that actually took no time at all to configure in SteerMouse (because SteerMouse came pre-configured exactly as I would have done it), and about 15 minutes to configure in USB OverDrive (where 13 of those minutes were devising creative ways to find out which button on my mouse is mapped to #6, #7, #8, #11, #13, etc. After the first three or so, it gets a little hazy, and UOD reported 21 buttons for me to search through). I think ControllerMate targets gamers who want sophisticated controller programming abilities without knowing how to code.

SteerMouse is the application that SHOULD ship with a $99 mouse.
 
its been long known that the LLC is crap. i found this out myself. their mice are otherwise fine and Steermouse or USB Overdrive work just fine.
 
Ok. It works fine for some of you.

That is not good software. That should not satisfy any of you.

Don't buy. Don't buy. Don't buy.
 
mason.kramer said:
Ok. It works fine for some of you.

That is not good software. That should not satisfy any of you.

Don't buy. Don't buy. Don't buy.
Click to expand...

if it works for some people and not for others then its up to the individual.
personally i love their mice and will always buy them.
USB Overdrive works just fine for me.
if you have a problem, contact Logitech and get them to re-write their software so it doesn't use Application Enhancer. or whatever its called.
 
mason.kramer said:
Ok. It works fine for some of you.

That is not good software. That should not satisfy any of you.

Don't buy. Don't buy. Don't buy.
Click to expand...
I believe for every Logitech mouse you don't buy I'll order 2 for my users. Does that work for you? :p

The latest version (2.4.0) is a nice improvement over the older ones since it doesn't use Application Enhancer anymore. I'm not going to pay for USB Overdrive either. If the software doesn't work for you then don't use it.
 
Logitech make great mice and keyboards.

Just don't use their software, use an alternative instead.

IMO, Keep buying, just don't install the software.
 
PlaceofDis said:
if it works for some people and not for others then its up to the individual.
personally i love their mice and will always buy them.
USB Overdrive works just fine for me.
if you have a problem, contact Logitech and get them to re-write their software so it doesn't use Application Enhancer. or whatever its called.
Click to expand...

Best advice ever. It obviously works, worked on my machine before but APE was the real culprit. Because the control center was the one that reported the error doesn't always mean THAT was the application at fault. APE has been known to cause MANY applications to break including some games.

If it doesn't work on one particular machine there might be environmental issues (i.e., APE)

Eidorian said:
I believe for every Logitech mouse you don't buy I'll order 2 for my users. Does that work for you? :p
Click to expand...

Hahahaha
 
Seriously, why does this stuff keep coming up.

Who buys mice for the software... I've been buying Logitech for 5 years now. I buy their mice and use 3rd party software. I haven't touched LCC for 2.8 years now. Logitech mice even works fine without any drivers. You can bind the buttons from the expose drop down menu.

PlaceofDis said:
their mice are otherwise fine and Steermouse or USB Overdrive work just fine.
Click to expand...

PlaceofDis said:
personally i love their mice and will always buy them.
USB Overdrive works just fine for me.
Click to expand...
 
Ok, ok, you fanboys have your opinions ;) I am not trying to warn you off, I am warning all those guys are prospective mice buyers to be aware that Logitech ships their mice with a buggy driver that frequently causes hard lockups across a wide variety of mac platforms and OS versions.

Sure, it's everybody's own choice to play roulette and buy and support crappy software that often doesn't work.

As long as this post exists for prospective mice buyers to find, I have done my job.
 
vohdoun said:
Seriously, why does this stuff keep coming up.

Who buys mice for the software... I've been buying Logitech for 5 years now. I buy their mice and use 3rd party software. I haven't touched LCC for 2.8 years now. Logitech mice even works fine without any drivers. You can bind the buttons from the expose drop down menu.
Click to expand...

That's why I said "worked" in my previous post. When I upgraded to Leopard I was just to lazy to go and get LCC and install it and my LM works fantastic with just the basic interface.

I too have been buying Log products for years. Not stopping because a few people are XXXXXXX and yelling "don't buy."

mason.kramer said:
Ok, ok, you fanboys have your opinions ;) I am not trying to warn you off, I am warning all those guys are prospective mice buyers to be aware that Logitech ships their mice with a buggy driver that frequently causes hard lockups across a wide variety of mac platforms and OS versions.

Sure, it's everybody's own choice to play roulette and buy and support crappy software that often doesn't work.

As long as this post exists for prospective mice buyers to find, I have done my job.
Click to expand...

I just love how people through "fanboy" around to easily yet don't really use the term in it's truest context.
 
mason.kramer said:
Ok, ok, you fanboys have your opinions ;) I am not trying to warn you off, I am warning all those guys are prospective mice buyers to be aware that Logitech ships their mice with a buggy driver that frequently causes hard lockups across a wide variety of mac platforms and OS versions.

Sure, it's everybody's own choice to play roulette and buy and support crappy software that often doesn't work.

As long as this post exists for prospective mice buyers to find, I have done my job.
Click to expand...

But it dosen't numerous people here have no problem

and there not fanboy's at all
 
mason.kramer said:
Ok, ok, you fanboys have your opinions ;) I am not trying to warn you off, I am warning all those guys are prospective mice buyers to be aware that Logitech ships their mice with a buggy driver that frequently causes hard lockups across a wide variety of mac platforms and OS versions.

Sure, it's everybody's own choice to play roulette and buy and support crappy software that often doesn't work.

As long as this post exists for prospective mice buyers to find, I have done my job.
Click to expand...

so since we disagree we're automatically fanboys? mature.

and its only buggy if you decide to install their software. it works out of the box without installing LCC.
 
vohdoun said:
Who buys mice for the software...
Click to expand...

Anyone who wants to make use of the 15 buttons on the mouse they bought with it.
I've been buying Logitech for 5 years now.
Click to expand...
Fabulous, so have I.
I buy their mice and use 3rd party software.
Click to expand...
then you are a sucker, just like me
I haven't touched LCC for 2.8 years now.
Click to expand...
I am vindicated!
Logitech mice even works fine without any drivers. You can bind the buttons from the expose drop down menu.
Click to expand...
Um, no. You can bind expose actions, but some of us have more creative uses for our many buttons.
 
mason.kramer said:
Anyone who wants to make use of the 15 buttons on the mouse they bought with it.

Fabulous, so have I.

then you are a sucker, just like me

I am vindicated!
Um, no. You can bind expose actions, but some of us have more creative uses for our many buttons.
Click to expand...

You mate are very petty, get over it and complain some where else not to us
 
PlaceofDis said:
it works out of the box without installing LCC.
Click to expand...

If by "works" you mean "the cursor moves around".

If that's what I wanted, why did I buy the mouse at all? They give out mice that can do that in crackerjack boxes (and all macs ship with at least one pointing device).
 
mason.kramer said:
Anyone who wants to make use of the 15 buttons on the mouse they bought with it.

Fabulous, so have I.

then you are a sucker, just like me

I am a whiney child!
Um, no. You can bind expose actions, but some of us have more creative uses for our many buttons.
Click to expand...

Fixed
 
I had kernal panics for about 1.5 years + and I think it most of them were caused by LCC. I have the latest version of LCC, and no kernal panics. My machine has been buggy anyway, but I was having problems with the Logitech software.

I use the MX-1000 with an older Dual 2.0 G5.
 
I've used Logitech mice and keyboards for years. I have NEVER installed Logitech's driver package, and I don't bother with third-party stuff either. My MX700 and MX900 (both getting on a bit, I know) work just fine with OS X default drivers. Side buttons are set to operate Expose.

Still the best mice on the market IMHO - despite the lousy software and the fact that I do actually rather like my Mighty Mouse (wireless, used with my MBP - logitech used on everything else).
 
mason.kramer said:
If by "works" you mean "the cursor moves around".

If that's what I wanted, why did I buy the mouse at all? They give out mice that can do that in crackerjack boxes (and all macs ship with at least one pointing device).
Click to expand...

odd. mine moved the cursor and the buttons worked too. sorry that you weren't able to click anything.
 
Just to be clear to any buyers reading this flame war:

No one in this thread is in disagreement that LCC causes, or can cause, kernel panics.

Everyone who is supporting logitech is advocating not using their drivers. Some recommend using a gimped mouse without HID bindings, some recommend paying money for a third party driver.

Edit: except Silver-Fox :)
 
omg i totally agree.

i was on there forums asking for help for a month.
then i just got so fed up and starting cursing people out and stuff and got banned for 234920342094 days. literally 14 years.

i have installed lcc 10 times and it has not worked. logitech even sent me a new mouse and it still doesn't work. i took back the old mouse in the new case to best buy and got 30 bucks more than what i had paid for it online.


i thought it was chill they sent me a new mouse but since then i have gotten no help from customer service by them asking me if i had dropped my mouse or dropped my computer. thats all the help they have given me.
 
benlangdon said:
omg i totally agree.

i was on there forums asking for help for a month.
then i just got so fed up and starting cursing people out and stuff and got banned for 234920342094 days. literally 14 years.

i have installed lcc 10 times and it has not worked. logitech even sent me a new mouse and it still doesn't work. i took back the old mouse in the new case to best buy and got 30 bucks more than what i had paid for it online.


i thought it was chill they sent me a new mouse but since then i have gotten no help from customer service by them asking me if i had dropped my mouse or dropped my computer. thats all the help they have given me.
Click to expand...

Yeah but how did it not work?
 
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