middle mouse button

[piratePenguin]

The middle mouse button has been around forever.  

All X11 workstations had one.  Because of this, X11 is built expecting a middle mouse button as the paste in terminals.  That's standard X11, not Linux.  Because of crappy two-button-only-mice, XFree86 and XOrg has a setting so that pressing both Left and Right at the same time emulates a middle mouse button click, but it needs to be enabled in the config files.

You could almost always find a PC mouse with a middle button and you damn well needed one for high end applications.  They weren't quite so common because (a)many mouse makers were cheap and (b) there was the "average computer users are morons" philosophy.  In other words, two buttons would be less confusing than three.  

Then the scrolling wheel was introduced and, what the heck, lets just make that a mouse button too.

I found it extremely odd that a (new enough) mouse I used to use had a scrollwheel that you couldn't click...

[Jack2000]

jubjubs ??
man dose are like litle
candies/ like a jelly but smaller ...

[mobrien_12]

I found it extremely odd that a (new enough) mouse I used to use had a scrollwheel that you couldn't click...

Yeah that is odd.   Who made it?

[GenuineAdvantage]

Doesn't seem that odd to me. I had a mouse with 2 scrollwheels, neither of them clickable. But it had 3 buttons, in weird positions. Oh and it was a trackball mouse. Made by A4Tech which are probably out of business now. I gave that to my sister.

[piratePenguin]

Yeah that is odd.   Who made it?

It was an Iqon (or is it Icon) one IIRC. Probably something they bought and put their stamp on.

I've never bought a mouse, I just use the best of what everyone else throws out. Right now a Dell ("by Microsoft") mouse. That Iqon mouse would be in the attic, where there is no light.

[Aloone_Jonez]

I've always thrown mouses out because they always stop working after a while, anyway perhapps the first two button mouse was an MS mouse.

[Jack2000]

Mine first was a Compaq
adn now a Benq one

[whats up with the Q-s ?]

[Pathos]

the -2button parameter for X11 is the workaround that emulates a middle button click when you press both buttons.

How many laptop mouses come with a middle button ?

from wikipedia : The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language, Fourth Edition, states that "computer mice" and "computer mouses" are both proper plural forms for "computer mouse." "Mice" is the generally accepted plural term.

[7031]

I do think it is pretty lame needing a 3 button mouse for fluxbox. I though Linux was supposed to be good for old harware too.
Even more annoying when you are using a laptop, as they tend to not have a middle mouse button and just have a scroller button. I think you could change them in Winblowz but not helping here.

You have got a valid point though, as none of my PS2 mice have a third button, the only mice I have that have a middle mouse button are the ones that are USB and of course, they are all fairly new.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

I use fluxbox and never use the third button ... it only brings up workspaces right ? I don't use workspaces ... I use tabs instead (allmost all programs I run are tabbed ... only OpenOffice isn't)

[worker201]

I use workspaces all the time in FC4.  Nice handy way to keep your shit organized.  Got my work apps (terminal, gedit, ggv) running in one, firefox thunderbird and gaim in another, and yet another for bittorrent and maybe another terminal.  Running a 3-window app like Gimp usually gets a workspace all to itself.

Of course I've never had any use for a 3rd mouse button.