this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2010
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Hi Laptop designers ... How hard is it to include a middle-click mouse button on-board laptops? Seriously? I can't find a single laptop these days that has a feature that exists on virtually every mouse. (self.hardware)

submitted 3 months ago by ZuchinniOne

This is just annoying. My current laptop has a middle-click on board and I use it ALL the time. What is so hard about including it on new computers? I need a new laptop and I am extremely annoyed that no laptop designers seems to be able to understand the concept of providing such a useful button, but they do make sure to add all sorts of random buttons at the top that almost nobody uses ... WTF!!!

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zaidr 46 points47 points 3 months ago[-]

The Thinkpads have middle click buttons.

ascii 9 points10 points 3 months ago[-]

I came here to say this. Yet another reason to love Thinkpads... The X301 is the greatest laptop ever built.

ACiDGRiM 5 points6 points 3 months ago[-]

I just ordered a x201t, I can't wait to join the awesome club!

neptyr 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

Signing in with a T61 , T60p and a W500, and an Lenovo Thinkstation <3

tad 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

X31 here. Still going strong.

galaxn 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Just got a 14" Thinkpad Edge. I used to have a T41 back in the day. Great budget laptop so far and I love the ultranav. It even has a backlit keyboard with green light!

JaySchnide 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

I just got an x301 at work with an SSD, awesome little machine.

jerryF 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Came here to say this too

GeneralissimoFranco 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

I <3 my X200. Almost 3 years old and still going strong.

jerryF 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Just helped my mom installing ubuntu on her 6 years old t40. Amazing it's as new running like a dream (except for the battery)

m1ss1ontomars2k4 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

I use it for scrolling.

I think Dell Latitudes have a middle click button (they're like ThinkPad knock-offs) but I'm not sure where it is.

TheMemo 24 points25 points 3 months ago[-]

Press the right and left trackpad buttons together. On most laptops, that serves as a middle-click and is usually clearly mentioned in the instruction manual.

srob101 9 points10 points 3 months ago[-]

What's an instruction manual?

TheMemo 4 points5 points 3 months ago[-]

It's what you read while your slaves unpack your computer.

srob101 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

What's reading?

ACiDGRiM 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

It's what your slaves do for you.

jcmcbeth 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Slaves can't read.

Munchroom 6 points7 points 3 months ago[-]

Buy Greek slaves

SofianJ 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Lazy Greeks, too busy dreaming the Mexican life and evading taxes whilst the rest of Europe pays for their early retirements.

Munchroom 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

I was referring to the slaves the Romans took, they were a pretty educated lot, the Romans were barbarians in comparison.

hearforthepuns 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Confirmed on my 100-year-old Vaio.

urusai -2 points-1 points 3 months ago[-]

My netbook only has one button that rocks side to side. You are wrong, just like always.

tekdemo 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Actually, most rockers bend enough to allow pressing both sides at one. My laptop has a rocker, but I can still hit both sides and get a middle click.

TheMemo 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Helpful hint:

When someone says 'most laptops do x,' they are not saying (as you clearly read) 'all laptops and netbooks do x without exceptions.'

I would suggest you learn your reading comprehension.

MattVortex 5 points6 points 3 months ago[-]

Two-finger tap is middle click on most laptops, just like one-finger tap is single click. On some other laptops, three-finger tap is right click.

This doesn't apply to macs, mind. On those two-finger tap is right click.

fas2 [!] 4 points5 points 3 months ago[-]

Two-finger tap on my laptop is right click.

DimeShake 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

It varies. You can also 3-finger tap on some models for right click or middle click.

ArcheKlaine 3 points4 points 3 months ago[-]

And for those of us who disable tap-to-click?

mavrc 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

While I can't understand why you'd want to do this, BetterTouchTool will let you define "three button click" -> "middle mouse". Hell, it'll let you define any magic mouse/touchpad action as anything, pretty much - I use it to make three finger click on the magic mouse into middle click.

ArcheKlaine 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

That's at least a nice alternative. Thanks.

k1ll3rwabb1t -1 points0 points 3 months ago[-]

Not our problem you disabled features?

m1ss1ontomars2k4 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Tap-to-click is idiotic. It will, without fail, cause me to drag random files into random folders on accident, then conveniently click away so that the files I've just moved are no longer selected and I can't move them back. People told me using tap-to-click was something you could learn, so I tried. It isn't.

marm0lade 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Yes it is, because I use it everyday and rarely tap-to-click on accident. You should be able to set the sensitivity of the trackpad so that light grazes don't register. Or you're not adept enough to use it.

m1ss1ontomars2k4 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

You should be able to set the sensitivity of the trackpad so that light grazes don't register.

But you can't.

Or you're not adept enough to use it.

Yes.

ArcheKlaine 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

This is why I don't use it. It's rare that it causes problems, but I just don't like how it feels to use, so it's almost always the first thing I turn off on a laptop.

grampajoe 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Yep, two-finger tap on my Eee PC is middle click in Gnome.

Eggby 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

And in Windows 7.

Strifebringer 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

How it works on my Asus.

kaptainchump 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Check out this program for OSX that lets you middle click with three fingers. http://lifehacker.com/5497566/middleclick-adds-easy-middle-clicking-to-macbook-touchpads-and-magic-mouse

It works great

TheElitistCoup 4 points5 points 3 months ago[-]

Tap zones

ZuchinniOne [S] 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Most computers I've looked at with tap zones like this don't seem to have a middle-click ability

notatoad 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

and while you're here, laptop designers, how about putting out some decent screen resolutions.

lulzitsareddit 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

There are some with great resolutions. I got 1920x1080 on my 15.6".

bis 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Which ones are decent?

I find that most people are comfortable with a dot pitch around 0.250 mm. Young eyes (under 35?) are comfortable all the way down to about 0.210 mm, and older eyes (over 45?) prefer larger dot pitches, 0.280 mm and above.

This means that a 15.4" or 15.6" laptop screen with WXGA, or a 17" with WXGA+ is best for a wide audience, but some people prefer more, smaller, pixels, and go for 15" with WSXGA+ or 17" with WUXGA. Surprisingly (to me), it's easier to find the higher-DPI screens.

tad 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

Why would anyone prefer a low-DPI screen? Are people using OSs that can't scale glyphs or something?

bis 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

The computing world has basically designed around 96 DPI for years and years. Most bitmap images embedded in applications or web pages are sized that way.

Yes, you can tell your OS that your display has a higher DPI, but it will break many apps and web pages. People seem to prefer miniature apps/websites to to having them broken.

bighedstev 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

My low model Acer has it...

Techno_Shaman 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

I have an HP Compaq 8150w. It's got TWO middle buttons.

jeannaimard 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

That’s because Windows doesn’t require a “middle-click” (that’s “3-button”) mouse.

insomniac84 1 point2 points 3 months ago* [-]

The latitude E6500 has a middle click. It has a stick mouse in the middle of the keyboard and three buttons below the space bar. Than the normal touch pad below it and two mice buttons.

Pic: http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/b9a733e8dc.jpg

From: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Latitude-E6500-Notebook.11958.0.html

Although can't you just press both mouse buttons at the same time to do a middle click on laptops that don't have it?

HardwareLust 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

My Dell E6500 has one. I never use it, because I always use a mouse. I hate trackpads.

djsdotcom 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

What the hell does a middle-click do? Are you used to an SGI machine or something?

Andrewr05 9 points10 points 3 months ago* [-]

Middle click:

  • Opens a link into a new tab (within a web browser)
  • Closes a tab when you click on it (within a web browser)
  • When done in a non-text field (within a web browser) it allows you to scroll at a steady rate
  • When done on an application on the Windows 7 taskbar it opens another of that application
  • When done on the preview window (When you hover over a taskbar icon) causes that application to close

I'm sure there are more, but those are the most comon reasons I use middle click.

lolcathost 4 points5 points 3 months ago[-]

Web browsing without it annoys the shit out of me. I installed the multitouch-enabled synaptics driver and assigned a tap in a corner of my touchpad to simulate the click, and enabled 2 fingers scrolling. Much better now.

Also, on linux :

  • Paste previously selected text (really, really useful !)
  • Alt+middle click : resize a window without grabbing a corner

pankkake 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

I really can't live without the middle button paste.

Kattborste 2 points3 points 3 months ago[-]

I mostly use it to open links in new tabs.

Uberg33k 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

I have an HP Elitebook with a middle button. I don't think you're looking very hard.

legoman666 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

My netbook requires two fingers to scroll. I discovered that I can tap 2 fingers anywhere on the touchpad to simulate a middle mouse click. It's quite useful.

porplemontage 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

My HP Elitistbook has one!

no1name 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Ctrl - tap does middle click on my machine

dougb 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Try ctrl red nipple click.

Robertrix 0 points1 point 3 months ago* [-]

This registry patch for XP/Vista/7 enables that on most of the synaptics based touchpads I've used:

HKEYLOCALMACHINE\Software\Synaptics\SynTP\Defaults\

Create a new DWORD value 'HasBothButtonFeature' and set the value to 1.

Log off then log on and it should work.

inserthandle 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

I know. My current Studio XPS middle clicks with left and right button at the same time which is great. But I'm getting a G73 soon which only has one button(stupid design). Good thing I use a mouse most of the time.

gotnate -1 points0 points 3 months ago[-]

MacBooks and MacBook Pros can middle click with a software patch.

smallstepforman 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

You're missing the original posters point. I've also got a MBP, and it's biggest flaw is the lack of additional physical trackpad buttons.

gotnate 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Seems to me that the OP was asking for a laptop that can mouse3. I'm just saying that you can enable mouse3 on a macbook. The only thing that I can think of that needs the mouse with multiple buttons is to be able to cord (why else do you need multiple buttons?!) - and the only reason i can think of to cord would be games. If you're gaming on a trackpad, you've got other problems.

I am quite happy with my multitouch trackpad. It is now second nature to 2 finger click to mouse2 and 3 finger click to mouse3. And then there are the various multi-finger swipe gestures. That said, I usually use a mouse. Especially when gaming.

ZuchinniOne [S] 1 point2 points 3 months ago[-]

Ideally I want mouse3 as a separate input so you can do mouse1+mouse3 the same way we can currently do mouse1+mouse2.

Making mouse1+mouse2 = mouse3 is not what I want.

gotnate 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

TL;DR: chording. Just because I don't see a use for chording outside of gaming, doesn't mean that you don't also. I'm curious as to what you do that needs chording.

ZuchinniOne [S] 0 points1 point 3 months ago[-]

Primarily gaming :)

But it can also help with some 3D editing

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