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The question is in regard to the devices found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/

enter image description here

Are they by definition computer mice?

The mice I have seen have been designed with:

  • Rollerball (ball on the bottom).
  • Optical (laser on the bottom).

But a trackball has the ball on top and the device itself is stationary. Yet, they both have the same functionality of moving a cursor, clicking, scrolling, etc.. on a computer.

So are trackballs a computer mouse, or type of computer mouse, or a completely different device by definition of a mouse?

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    What makes it a mouse? Is it the ball? Or the tail? Is it still a mouse if it's wireless? Maybe we should ask the farmer's wife... Oct 16, 2019 at 23:41
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    Yes, that is why they are called a trackball mouse.
    – Moab
    Oct 17, 2019 at 0:27
  • "Are they by definition computer mice?" are don't think there is an official definition of mouse covering this. Everything else is matter of personal view (i.e. subjective) which is off topic here Oct 17, 2019 at 2:21
  • This is not opinion based. It has an absolute answer, which I posted below.
    – Keltari
    Oct 17, 2019 at 5:21

3 Answers 3

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Depends on context. If the narrow definition is used, no, a trackball is a trackball, while a mouse is a mouse.

Example: "My mouse just broke, when you go shopping can you buy me a new one?" <- will be Very disappointed if you return with a trackball.

There are other, wider definitions in use. When online shopping, the category "mouse" may or may not include other pointing devices, depending on the shop. In a manual the term mouse may refer to any pointing device. In various APIs the term mouse is used to refer to pretty much any input device that controls a cursor and can send clicks, e.g OnMouseOver(MouseEventArgs).

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As a trackball user, I would be upset if someone replaced my trackball with a mouse. While they are both pointing devices, I consider them two different things. Similarly, a Wacom tablet is not a mouse.

From Oxford English Dictionary:

A small handheld device which is moved across a mat or flat surface to move the cursor across a computer screen

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They are not the same.

According to Wikipedia:

A computer mouse is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface.

The keyword in that description is surface. Trackballs work differently. Trackballs work independently from the surface they are on.

Technically, trackballs do not need a surface at all. You could hold a trackball in the air and still use it. A mouse could not be used held in the air.

Further down in the "History" section, the article states that the trackball is a related device to the mouse. This further indicates they are not the same.

Additionally, the Wikipedia article for the trackball, says it is

like an upside-down mouse

This also reinforces the fact they are not the same.

I believe since mice are ubiquitous, while trackballs are rare, that people simply call trackballs mice, as they arent familiar with the term.

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  • Is Wikipedia referring to the original trackball invention or the picture in my post as well?
    – Brandon
    Oct 17, 2019 at 2:42
  • @Brandon I do not understand your question. Everything in the picture is a trackball, regardless of placement. They might be categorized as different types of trackball, as some are operated by the palm, fingers, or thumb.
    – Keltari
    Oct 17, 2019 at 2:46
  • Ok so what I meant was in the picture, those trackballs look exactly like mice. Guessing it doesn't matter here. I ask because someone else commented that they are called "trackball mouse".
    – Brandon
    Oct 17, 2019 at 2:48
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    @Brandon They look like mice as that shape is ergonomically comfortable to rest your hand. The functional operation is different.
    – Keltari
    Oct 17, 2019 at 2:50

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