Not So Mighty Mouse

February 11, 2008 5:35 PM

Help me find a (non-Mighty) mouse for my Mac that can be programmed to function with Exposé and Spaces.

I've been using my Mac Pro for a few years now, and the Mighty Mouse is starting to drive me crazy. The scroll ball jams up every few days and has to be thoroughly cleaned and smacked around just to work again.

I also have a Logitech gaming mouse from my previous PC, but it doesn't have the ability to assign buttons to Exposé and Spaces, which is something I really, really enjoy.

Is there a 3rd party mouse that can be programmed to take on these functions, but doesn't have that horrible little scroll ball of the Mighty Mouse?

If not, can I either clean the scroll ball so that it STAYS clean, or get software to make my Logitech (MX 5000, I think) work properly?

It doesn't have to be cordless, and it doesn't have to be too gamer-friendly, since I switch to my Logitech for WoW, etc. anyway.

Thanks.

posted by Doctor Suarez to computers & internet (8 answers total)

You don't need a third party mouse, you need third party mouse software. Steermouse and USB Overdrive are your two best options. Either will let you remap any button on any mouse however you like.

I really like Logitech's hardware, though. I'm very happy with my MX Revolution.
posted by svolix at 5:41 PM on February 11, 2008

I've used Steermouse with a Logitech MX518 and it worked great with Exposé.
posted by zsazsa at 5:45 PM on February 11, 2008

I have an MX510 and was able to map Expose and Spaces out of the box, no drivers. I think the MX518 is the same way.
posted by Mikey-San at 5:58 PM on February 11, 2008

I have the VX Revolution, and use it with USB Overdrive to control both Expose and Spaces.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:26 PM on February 11, 2008

I'll second the vote for the Revolution, although I use the MX Revolution. I have the thumb wheel set for spaces and I LOVE it. I basically have all of my spaces lined up in a single vertical column. Thumb wheel UP takes me up a space. Thumb wheel DOWN takes me down a space.
posted by 2oh1 at 9:46 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

You don't even need third party mouse software. Logitech Control Center should work just fine.
posted by designbot at 8:35 AM on February 12, 2008

Avoid Logitech Control Center at all costs. It broke -- I am not exaggerating -- half of my everyday apps, and it installs bits of itself in all sorts of no-no nooks and crannies. It's the worst piece of "driver" software I've ever encountered.
posted by droob at 1:29 PM on February 12, 2008

I recommend USB Overdrive, not only because you can program your mouse buttons with a whole slew of functions including arbitrary key presses, but also because it gives you control over OSX's pointer acceleration. I found the default acceleration in OSX pretty muddy, and although you can change pointer speed, you can't change the acceleration curve without something like USB Overdrive.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:13 AM on February 13, 2008