Question

Lifehacker had a post a couple days ago asking people about the best mouse you’ve ever had and it appears some people have traded their mouse for a tablet.

I’m curious if anyone here has traded their mouse in for a tablet? Does it work well for development? Looking for pros and cons from people who have tried it or are using it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I used a small Wacom tablet as my primary ‘mouse’ for a couple years. I found the tablet to be very natural, and even got used to typing while holding the stylus in between my fingers. (I don’t type the ‘correct fingers on home row’ way anyway, so it wasn’t that big of an adjustment)

I did find that I got MUCH better at using the keyboard for most navigation because when I did put down the stylus, I didn’t want to have to pick it back up.

Since I had a cheaper tablet, after a couple years of use the protective plastic had a gridwork of scratches that made it sometime more difficult for precise mouse movements (being a web-developer, I’ve done my share of quick graphic design pieces). Eventually, it got to a point where I needed to replace it and rather than spending the money on a new tablet, I bought a new optical mouse because was heavily into Counterstrike at the time and couldn’t justify buying an input that only benefit one of my obsessions.

Overall, I didn’t really notice any great benefits or drawbacks.. it was simply just a different way to use the computer.

To the critcism clicking buttons on a tablet.. the stylus I used had a click/right-click built right into it. No searching for anything..