Mouse Behavior Like Windows
 

Don't shoot! I'm using SuSE Linux 8.1 on a P-II 266 Mhz with 256 Meg RAM and I'm enjoying the experience execpt for one area - the mouse.

Linux mouse behaviors like speed, acceleration, and the click are different than Windows and my hand aches from using Linux.

I don't have that problem in Windows XP/2000/NT/98 as the default mouse settings is identical for each of those Operating Systems.

For me the mouse problems in Linux seem to be the speed in which the mouse travels a cross the screen and the distance I need to move the mouse on the pad to travel a given distance across the screen. Speed is too slow and I have to move the mouse too far on the pad relative to movement on the screen.

Can anyone provide the mouse settings in Linux, SuSE 8.1 specifically, that sets the mouse close to what is used by Windows?

Control Center in SuSE 8.1 has settings for:
Pointer Acceleration
Pointer Threshold
Pointer Double-Click Interval
Drag Start Time
Drag Start Distance

I'm too new to Linux to know which of these settings have correlations to the mouse settings in Windows. I've experimented with the settings and have somewhat relieved my fatigue problem but I would like to fully understand mouse settings by having an expert explain what settings I need to tweak so I can tweak with knowledge instead of just moving sliders on some setting until I think something is better.


codegomer

Well, the easiest way is for you to turn the acceleration up and the threshold up.

Is the doubleclick speed too fast? too slow? Then turn the double-click interval up or down..

it's all about taste man, we can't tell you how to set it :)
-Shade

Shade,

Thanks for the reply. I've already tweaked thoses settings and can blindly move sliders with the best of them until something looks or feels better. It's not about taste, it's about fatigue.

I'm looking for more of a technical answer so I can tweak a setting with knowledge.

The SuSE 8.1 settings available to me don't (in my mind) have something I recognize from Windows as equivalents.

Linux
Pointer Acceleration (in units of X)
Pointer Threshold (in units of pixels)
Pointer Double-Click Interval (in units of milliseconds)
Drag Start Time (in units of milliseconds)
Drag Start Distance (in units of pixels)

Windows
Default Sensitivity Slider Value 50 = 400 pixels per inch of movement
Acceleration is applied on top of the Sensitivity

Linux does not have an obvious set of setting that allow me to specify 1 inch of mouse movement on the mousepad equals 400 pixels of pointer movement on the screen. Linux may have a combination of settings that achieves the goal. Linux may not have an equivalent. That's the answer I'm seeking.

codegomer

codegomer,
Probably too late to be of help, but on this page there is some information about a Resolution option in XF86Config-4.

I've been out sampling all of the distributions. SuSE 8.1, 9.0, Mandrake 9.2, Red Hat 9.0.

The best mouse adjustment I've found is Red Hat 9 running the Gnome user interface. There are sliders like you find in Windows and the mouse has a default behavior - speed and sensitivity - like Windows.

Red Hat or the good folks that coded Gnome did their homework on getting an equivalent mouse feel to that of Windows.

codegomer

Yea I know what you mean. Its either jumpy or to slow theres not much middle ground. The mouse behavior has always been wierd from RH9, Manny 9 and slack. I think its just a linux thing.

its more of an X thing. i had the same problem and i easily fixed this :)

look in ur XF86Config file or xorg.conf file for ur Xwindows. look in ur mouse section and use the

Resolution option. i have mine set at 1000 and its pretty close to what i used to use in windows