Tech: cursor jumping

Subject: Tech: cursor jumping
From: oldfogie
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 05:37 AM

Hi all You Experts
I have, recently bought a new Advent laptop computer which uses vista premium and works suite 9.0. The problem that I have is that I can be typing a document look up to see what I've written and find that the cursor has moved and whatever i was typing is in the middle of some other part of the document. My wife has a company IBM Thinkpad using xp professional and she says it happens to her. Is it a coincidence (ie they both have a problem) or an issue with laptops. It's damned irritating I know that much.
oldfogie

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: wordfella
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 08:01 AM

Used to happen to me. My thumb was hitting the touchpad. Disable or cover it if you're using a mouse, or try to miss it if you're not.

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 11:04 AM

I've had the problem on a couple of laptops, and it was - in my case - caused by dragging a thumb on the touchpad while typing. The touchpad can be disabled in Control Panel, or with one of my old laptops with a "mouse program" that came installed.

With the touchpad disabled though, you likely will want another pointing device, unless you're the sort of "really casual" kind of person who likes watching the cursor slowly twitch across the screen while you use the wobble-stick that's also on most laptops.

With both of the laptops where I had the problem, the touch pad used the same port as the "serial mouse port" so that plugging in an external serial mouse (standard mouse or track ball, turns the touch pad back on, so the keyboard problem returns. These both were old models, and you may not have that problem with a new one, but if you have an old serial mouse you might want to try it before buying a nice shiny new one for the laptop.

The solution I used was a USB mouse. Since the USB port is separate from the serial port, it can be connected while the touchpad remains turned off.

If the way you plan to use your laptop isn't compatible with using an external pointing device, you're only real solution may be to learn to type with your thumbs pointing up and hands off the surface of the machine, or do a detailed study of "how to run your computer without a mouse."

John

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: open mike
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 11:12 AM

my toshiba does this too---and i often use it to take notes at meetings.
it is very frustrating. if this can be prevented by adjusting the sensitivity of the touch pad, that might help! (i am not convinced I am touching anything...it seems quite random to me)

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: oldfogie
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 11:23 AM

Hi all
thanks for that i wasn't aware that i touch the pad but it looks likely that i do (have to have my thumbs removed i guess!)
many thanks
oldfogie

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 02 Apr 08 - 12:14 PM

One of my oldest laptops had a touch pad so sensitive that you didn't have to touch it. Just waving your thumb around a quarter inch above it would move the cursor. I think "modern" ones probably are a little better than that ... maybe.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Apr 08 - 10:41 AM

I have a mental image of oldfogie jumping around and cursing...

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Apr 08 - 11:21 AM

The very few times I have tried out someones laptop, I decided I did NOT like touchpads! If I ever do get a laptop, it WILL have a mouse...preferably an optical USB mouse, so that I can use my own leg as a surface if necessary.

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Apr 08 - 12:46 PM

There seem to be quite a few people who insist that their laptops are "just as good as a desktop." My carefully considered evaluation, for most, in the gentlest terms I can muster, are "These people are idiots."

A laptop keyboard is necessarily laid out to minimize the space, instead of to fit humanoid fingers. Layouts vary from one manufacturer to another, although I'll grant that they're becoming more similar to each other. On all that I've seen, the key covers fall off in about a year, but that may be because the ones I see don't get used much, so maybe the keys get dusty. ...

Using a pointing device is sufficiently helpful that nearly all laptops now include both the wobble stick - which is too slow for good control - and the touch pad - which requires you to adopt a contorted typing style to avoid the random jump effect.

Processing speed and component capabilities in decent laptops are adequate for many applications, but are far behind what's in most desktops for "heavy duty applications." Serious gamers (or even gaming wannabees) DO NOT USE LAPTOPS. In my opinion, even Photoshop Elements bogs down, and the full CS suite on a laptop would run, but would (personal opinion) be ridiculous.

Any failure on the motherboard generally means junk it and get a new laptop. In laptops, virtually everything is on the motherboard, including graphics, sound, connectivity (ethernet/firewire/USB) components, etc. In a desktop, even if a sound or graphics card is integrated, if it fails you can plug in a separate sound card and ignore the failed one, but on a laptop most people would buy a new laptop.

The most annoying feature I find in laptops is that laptop hard drives actually operate at a about a fourth (at best, 10% in many) the effective speed of even mediocre desktop machines. High rpm disks are only rarely used in laptops, since the Coriolis demon would make them disintegrate if the device is moved while the disk is running. While the specs for read/write time, random seek, and intial seek are comparable, to protect the disks laptops "park" the heads frequently, so nearly every disk read/write is "from park." The lag, even in Word - which is not "disk intensive" - is noticeable if you're accustomed to a decent desktop.

If you absolutely do not have space for a desktop or if you must take it with you then a laptop is obviously what you need.

I have a laptop to take along on trips and to campsites; but I plug in a USB "transmitter" that lets me use a standard desktop keyboard and mouse (optical) anywhere within about 60 feet, with no wires¹. The keyboard can sit on my lap if needed, and the arm of the chair can be a mousepad, although I generally set up something more comfortable.

For places where you can't set up useful accessories, having a laptop and learning to "live with" its peculiarities probably is better than having nothing, but it's NOT A DIRECT REPLACEMENT for a desktop machine, unless your use is extremely "simple."

¹ The keyboard/mouse I'm currently using is a Microsoft "business kit" that should be available fairly widely, and was about $50(US). In typical Microsoft fashion, the mouse uses a single "AA" battery, and the keyboard, where there's lots more space for a battery, uses a "AAA." Battery life is pretty good and wouldn't be a big hit using "throwaway" batteries, but the different sizes do make rechargables less convenient than necessary since separate cycles (or separate chargers) are advised.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: Mr Red
Date: 03 Apr 08 - 01:40 PM

watch your sleeves.

I was told by an old service guy about an electric typewriter that used to jam two letters together and just as the lass tried to flick the arms back it jumped a space. Obviously a faulty machine.

He solved the problem by watching the voluminous lady and as she hit two keys at the same time the two arms came out at high speed and lodged in in mid-flight, and leaning forward to flick them back depressed the space bar using an unfamiliar appendage (or two).

There are settings for touch pads and if they are dirty it may affect that.

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 09:27 AM

"it WILL have a mouse... so that I can use my own leg"

You've never owned a dog, have you?   :-P

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: oldfogie
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 09:41 AM

Hi
yeah jumping around and cursing- well tottering round and cursing.
under most circumstances the laptop is ok I don't play games and suprisingly enough the laptop is a lot faster than my 'old' desktop. mainly it takes up a hell of a lot less space (leaves more room for keeping instruments!)but I rarely need a lot of speed or masses of memory so it's ok. Thanks for everyone's comments-since being aware of the 'thumb' issue my cursor has stopped doing the fandango.
oldfogie

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 09:49 AM

Foolestroupe -

"Lady, I wasn't afraid your dog was gonna bite me. He looked like was getting set to kick me!"

John

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: Gurney
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 06:16 PM

I started to write a funny addendum to that, John, and then realised that I could think of three postures that the dog could adopt that might lead to apprehension.

All of them sort of funny. For onlookers.

Subject: RE: Tech: cursor jumping
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 08:20 PM

Gurney -

It's a really old joke (shaggy dog story?) that I thought Foolestroupe might know. On reflection, as far in the past as Foolestroupe insists he is, maybe it's not an old enough joke for him to have heard it....

Of course kids like him sometimes worry about forgetting things they used to know, but he's probably past the time when he's even forgotten stuff he never did know, even though he is sort of a relative youngster 'mongst the truly well-seasoned of us here.

John