Why does using a mouse in OS X suck?

[OrangeCuse44]

I've been wondering about this since I got my Macbook 2 years ago. When I use my mouse in OS X it is not smooth at all but rather feels like it's stuck in mud. Regardless of the pointer speed setting it just isn't "smooth." I use this mouse in Crossover Windows apps and also in Linux on my other partition and it works fine. Is this intentional? Can it be adjusted to run smoother?

 

[yoyo5280]

No problems here (and i'm on an old mac). Care to explain more

 

[OrangeCuse44]

I guess if someone has used OS X there entire life they have nothing to compare to. It's noticeable when I move my mouse a small distance, it seems jittery almost and doesn't glide like when you move fast. Any Windows converts notice this?

 

[yoyo5280]

Where was there a mention of going to an Apple Genius?

Back to point, I guess if someone has used OS X there entire life they have nothing to compare to. Any Windows converts notice this?

I am a windows convert, I use both OSs daily.

I notice nothing

 

[danny_w]

I have had the sluggish response sometimes, but I can't remember having any such issue since at least 10.3.9 or back then sometime. Sometimes it depends on the mouse that you use; the built-ind river does not seem to work well with some mice. My wife uses an old Microsoft mouse (the first ergonomic ones) and it only works right with the Intellimouse driver installed. I use the Apple MM and the included driver. And yes I routinely work in both Mac and Windows environments (my first Mac was a G4 Mini when they were introduced).

 

[mkrishnan]

What you're (99% sure) referring to is the acceleration curve of the mouse. Mice in most operating systems are non-linear. That is, if you move your finger twice as fast, you get more than a 2x increase in pointer speed. This lets you use the same trackpad or mouse to move all the way across the screen without running out of space and still make accurate fine grain changes.

The acceleration is different from the speed or velocity. That's why adjusting the mouse speed doesn't satisfy you.

There is an element of personal preference to acceleration curves, but they are also somewhat different in every major operating system, and many people become really accustomed to whatever was in their original operating system. So I for instance got really used to how the Amiga handled its mouse, because it was the first time I used a mouse intensively.

OS X does not have much in the way of built-in tools for this, but since you're talking about the external mouse, you might be able to benefit from a different mouse driver that lets you adjust acceleration. Steermouse is one such popular option.

 

[Eidorian]

I prefer the mouse acceleration over in Windows. Linux and OS X leave some to be desired.

If you're talking about Crossover keep in mind you aren't really in OS X when you're using a Crossover application.

 

[ingenious]

I guess if someone has used OS X there entire life they have nothing to compare to. It's noticeable when I move my mouse a small distance, it seems jittery almost and doesn't glide like when you move fast. Any Windows converts notice this?

when i first got my PowerBook G4 in 2003, I noticed the mouse was slower in general, but no jerkiness. i've never noticed any jerkiness, and i've grown accustomed to the speed to where I don't normally even notice the difference when i switch between PCs and Macs.

my friend can't stand the speed, but the keyboard & mouse/trackpad preference panes and the tracking speed control fixed that for him.

 

[OrangeCuse44]

What you're (99% sure) referring to is the acceleration curve of the mouse. Mice in most operating systems are non-linear. That is, if you move your finger twice as fast, you get more than a 2x increase in pointer speed. This lets you use the same trackpad or mouse to move all the way across the screen without running out of space and still make accurate fine grain changes.

The acceleration is different from the speed or velocity. That's why adjusting the mouse speed doesn't satisfy you.

There is an element of personal preference to acceleration curves, but they are also somewhat different in every major operating system, and many people become really accustomed to whatever was in their original operating system. So I for instance got really used to how the Amiga handled its mouse, because it was the first time I used a mouse intensively.

OS X does not have much in the way of built-in tools for this, but since you're talking about the external mouse, you might be able to benefit from a different mouse driver that lets you adjust acceleration. Steermouse is one such popular option.

Useful information thank you. The problem does lie in acceleration, you are correct. I will be receiving a bluetooth mouse shortly so I'm interested to see if there is a difference.

 

[dolphin842]

As Mohan suggested there are tools to set the acceleration higher than what the Mouse preference pane allows. Another tool that I used to use is MouseZoom, but when I got a trackball, the standard acceleration worked fine, so I stopped using it.

 

[toolbox]

I am a windows convert, I use both OSs daily.

I notice nothing

Same here! i notice no difference

 

[OrangeCuse44]

As Mohan suggested there are tools to set the acceleration higher than what the Mouse preference pane allows. Another tool that I used to use is MouseZoom, but when I got a trackball, the standard acceleration worked fine, so I stopped using it.

Wow, Mousezoom definitely helped, I'm flying now!

 

[mikeM247]

I've been wondering about this since I got my Macbook 2 years ago. When I use my mouse in OS X it is not smooth at all but rather feels like it's stuck in mud. Regardless of the pointer speed setting it just isn't "smooth." I use this mouse in Crossover Windows apps and also in Linux on my other partition and it works fine. Is this intentional? Can it be adjusted to run smoother?

I know what you mean! Even on my iMAC desktop, i noticed that jittery sort of scrolling, not nearly as smooth as the mouse i used on my previous Windows system. But i've done my best to ignore the annoyance and move on to bigger and better annoyances.

 

[mkrishnan]

Wow, Mousezoom definitely helped, I'm flying now!

I think, in general, when you move to any other mouse, you should continue to be happy with your new settings. Many people want them slightly different on different kinds of input devices (e.g. someone above said they hated the acceleration on a mouse but on a trackball the same acceleration profile worked really well).

 

[OrangeCuse44]

I know what you mean! Even on my iMAC desktop, i noticed that jittery sort of scrolling, not nearly as smooth as the mouse i used on my previous Windows system. But i've done my best to ignore the annoyance and move on to bigger and better annoyances.

At least I know I'm not crazy. It's hard to define but prevalent when moving very small distances.

 

[maccam]

There is no difference! Get a decent mouse pad.

You can go in the system preference and change some settings.

 

[SelfMadeCelo]

I've noticed on my iMac that the mouse moves a lot slower than what I'm use to when using the mouse it came with. Even when playing games it seems like the mouse never gets to where I want it to go without running out of pad space. I switched to my old Razer mouse and now it's MUCH faster...

 

[n8mac]

I hate it when using one of my friends/families Windows machines as the mouse moves so fast that I sometimes loose it. Forget about design and illustration on Windows. When I draw on my Mac if I want slow and precise I can get it. But it is preference of course. It's like going from one monitor size to another. Eventually you get used to it and adapt.

 

[bki122689]

bought an wireless mouse a few weeks ago and no problems either. What type of mouse are you using?

 

[chadrob30]

iMac, no mouse pad, Logitech wireless mouse, Leopard...no issues here.

 

[VoR]

I can't stand the mouse acceleration in osx. It is much less noticeable in windows and rather importantly, there is a check box for switching it off - something osx desperately needs.
It's fine/required when using a trackpad.
The free/commercial(sigh) apps I have have (briefly) tried don't seem to work properly.

I much prefer knowing/feeling how the cursor moves in relation to my mouse and surface, the cursor speed changing so drastically depending on the acceleration seems so unnatural and random.
I don't play games, but I'm surprised the people that do (on osx) don't scream about this daily.

 

[maccam]

I can't stand the mouse acceleration in osx. It is much less noticeable in windows and rather importantly, there is a check box for switching it off - something osx desperately needs.
It's fine/required when using a trackpad.
The free/commercial(sigh) apps I have have (briefly) tried don't seem to work properly.

I much prefer knowing/feeling how the cursor moves in relation to my mouse and surface, the cursor speed changing so drastically depending on the acceleration seems so unnatural and random.
I don't play games, but I'm surprised the people that do (on osx) don't scream about this daily.

Maybe thats because no one else has those problems??

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

As Mohan suggested there are tools to set the acceleration higher than what the Mouse preference pane allows. Another tool that I used to use is MouseZoom, but when I got a trackball, the standard acceleration worked fine, so I stopped using it.

Thanks a bunch, turns apple's crap-o tracking mouse into a decent mouse. Now why the heck Apple doesnt do this is beyond common sense. Happy New Year!

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Thanks a bunch, turns apple's crap-o tracking mouse into a decent mouse. Now why the heck Apple doesnt do this is beyond common sense. Happy New Year!

Apple should at least offer the option for users to customize the acceleration curve. Now THAT would be awesome. Making the change you're suggesting the default would be just as unreasonable as leaving things the way they are.

Mind you, I don't really notice a difference in acceleration curves, and I use Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows frequently.

 

[timestoby]

ur tripn about the mouse.im using a cheap £4 store brand mouse and its great.maybe you just got a bad mouse.