Of Mice and Linux

Of Mice and Linux

[Scott Robert Ladd]

Please indulge a minor story in regard to testing beta kernels.

Last Friday, I made a minor change to my Linux .config and rebuilt 
2.6.0-test11. Soon thereafter, my mouse began getting "stuck", sometimes 
for several seconds, refusing to move no matter how vigorously I wiggled 
my wrist.

I rebuilt the kernel a couple of times, turning on and off various 
options; I plugged and unplugged devices from the USB ports; a 
considerable amount of cursing ensued. The problem was erratic -- and 
frustrating, because I hadn't had much trouble with 2.6 (which I've been 
using since the 2.6.4x days).

Then I borrowed a mouse from another machine, plugged it in -- and the 
replacement rodent worked flawlessly. It seems that my mouse broke just 
about the same time as I installed test11. Being a software guy, I 
should have blamed the hardware first...

...especially since the truth was right in front of me, emblazoned 
boldly across the mouse: the word "Microsoft".

I think the replacement will be from Logitech.

-- 
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Software Invention for High-Performance Computing

Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Florin Iucha]

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On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 01:04:11PM -0500, Scott Robert Ladd wrote:
> Please indulge a minor story in regard to testing beta kernels.
> 
> Last Friday, I made a minor change to my Linux .config and rebuilt 
> 2.6.0-test11. Soon thereafter, my mouse began getting "stuck", sometimes 
> for several seconds, refusing to move no matter how vigorously I wiggled 
> my wrist.
> 
> I rebuilt the kernel a couple of times, turning on and off various 
> options; I plugged and unplugged devices from the USB ports; a 
> considerable amount of cursing ensued. The problem was erratic -- and 
> frustrating, because I hadn't had much trouble with 2.6 (which I've been 
> using since the 2.6.4x days).
> 
> Then I borrowed a mouse from another machine, plugged it in -- and the 
> replacement rodent worked flawlessly. It seems that my mouse broke just 
> about the same time as I installed test11. Being a software guy, I 
> should have blamed the hardware first...
> 
> ...especially since the truth was right in front of me, emblazoned 
> boldly across the mouse: the word "Microsoft".
> 
> I think the replacement will be from Logitech.

Hrm... you might be onto something here. My Microsoft mouse gave up
around test-10 or so. Then the USB ports started acting funny on my
SIS 745 motherboard...

florin

-- 

Don't question authority: they don't know either!

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Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Scott Robert Ladd]

Florin Iucha wrote:
> Hrm... you might be onto something here. My Microsoft mouse gave up
> around test-10 or so. Then the USB ports started acting funny on my
> SIS 745 motherboard...

Is it possible for Linux to kill a Microsoft (or any) mouse via the USB 
port? I hadn't seriously considered that problem... I don't have the 
proper test equipment to check the voltages on the USBs to see if 
something is amiss.

And here I was going to write it off as "mouse suicide", the result of a 
Microsoft mouse becoming depressed because it was attached to a Linux 
system.

(Note: For real humor, I should post a story to Slashdot about how Linux 
kills Microsoft mice, with misleading anecdotes and undiscovered 
evidence. But, despite my somewhat off-kilter mood today, I will 
restrain myself.)

-- 
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Software Invention for High-Performance Computing

[OT] Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Wakko Warner]

> Is it possible for Linux to kill a Microsoft (or any) mouse via the USB 
> port? I hadn't seriously considered that problem... I don't have the 
> proper test equipment to check the voltages on the USBs to see if 
> something is amiss.
> 
> And here I was going to write it off as "mouse suicide", the result of a 
> Microsoft mouse becoming depressed because it was attached to a Linux 
> system.
> 
> (Note: For real humor, I should post a story to Slashdot about how Linux 
> kills Microsoft mice, with misleading anecdotes and undiscovered 
> evidence. But, despite my somewhat off-kilter mood today, I will 
> restrain myself.)

I got rid of the mouse long ago, I use guinea pig now!

-- 
 Lab tests show that use of micro$oft causes cancer in lab animals

Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Joshua Kwan]

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On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 03:56:46PM -0500, Scott Robert Ladd wrote:
> Is it possible for Linux to kill a Microsoft (or any) mouse via the USB 
> port? I hadn't seriously considered that problem... I don't have the 
> proper test equipment to check the voltages on the USBs to see if 
> something is amiss.

Frankly, I've been using a Microsoft USB IntelliMouse on my laptop since
2.5.59, because they're so damn cheap. Hasn't broken yet and I use it
daily.

-- 
Joshua Kwan

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Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Zan Lynx]

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On Mon, 2003-12-08 at 11:04, Scott Robert Ladd wrote:
> Please indulge a minor story in regard to testing beta kernels.
> 
> Last Friday, I made a minor change to my Linux .config and rebuilt 
> 2.6.0-test11. Soon thereafter, my mouse began getting "stuck", sometimes 
> for several seconds, refusing to move no matter how vigorously I wiggled 
> my wrist.
> 
> I rebuilt the kernel a couple of times, turning on and off various 
> options; I plugged and unplugged devices from the USB ports; a 
> considerable amount of cursing ensued. The problem was erratic -- and 
> frustrating, because I hadn't had much trouble with 2.6 (which I've been 
> using since the 2.6.4x days).
> 
> Then I borrowed a mouse from another machine, plugged it in -- and the 
> replacement rodent worked flawlessly. It seems that my mouse broke just 
> about the same time as I installed test11. Being a software guy, I 
> should have blamed the hardware first...
> 
> ...especially since the truth was right in front of me, emblazoned 
> boldly across the mouse: the word "Microsoft".
> 
> I think the replacement will be from Logitech.

Are you _sure_ your mouse is broken?  Did you try your Microsoft mouse
on another machine?

I ask because my Microsoft Intellimouse wireless started doing the same
thing after I installed 2.6.0-test11.  I haven't made a bug report
because I haven't had time to bother retrying -test10, removing the
binary Nvidia drivers, and taking out the Reiser4 patches.

But now that you've mentioned the same problem, I'm going to add a "Me
Too!"

And on a different machine, I'm using a Logitech MX700, and it works
perfectly under -test11.
-- 
Zan Lynx <zlynx@acm.org>

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Re: Of Mice and Linux

[Scott Robert Ladd]

Zan Lynx wrote:
> Are you _sure_ your mouse is broken?  Did you try your Microsoft mouse
> on another machine?

Well, I tried it on another Linux machine, and it was intermittently 
buggy. Right now, the Microsoft mouse is plugged into a Windows XP/Pro 
system, and seems to be trouble-free.

Meanwhile, I picked up a nice, cheery, red Logitech mouse for my 2.6.0 
box, and it is working quite well.

-- 
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Software Invention for High-Performance Computing