[snoman]

You're starting to sound like one of those funny infomercials where everything is black and white and the actor fumbles with some overtly awkward action, that is otherwise mundane... Holding their outstretched arm up over their head with their other arm, a grimace of strain on their face, trying to scroll with their pinky finger. All the while the voice-over is asking why you'd subject yourself to this.

It's a, very natural, quarter inch movement of your thumb while your arm rests comfortably on the table. Not unlike having your hand on your coffee mug.

[dkonofalski]

I think the point, though, is that your hand wouldn't naturally rest on the table near the screen like that. The main reason you're comfortable doing that is because you know you can scroll with your hand in that position. The natural resting position would be to relax your hands off the keyboard after typing and that puts it squarely in the area of the (comically) huge trackpad.

[david-given]

I'm reading this right now (well, thirty seconds ago, before I started typing) on a touch-screen Chromebook. My right hand was resting on the table in a vertical orientation with the edge of my hand on the table, my finger loosely resting on the back of the screen, and my thumb on the touchscreen scrolling up and down. Very smooth, very natural.

Conversely, scrolling up and down this text box using the trackpad is tiny, cramped, constrained motions of my finger on the touchpad.

[snoman]

The hundreds of millions of people that have used a mouse can attest to how 'natural' it is.

[dkonofalski]

Except that the mouse is an example of being completely unnatural... The whole point of the positioning on the trackpad is that it's right there when you relax your hands from the keyboard. Otherwise, you'd see computers with trackpads above the keyboard. The positioning of a mouse may be a reflex from usage, but it's the exact opposite of natural.

[c22]

I wish the trackpad was above the keyboard. I am constantly accidentally switching focus or selecting things while I am typing.

[TheOneTrueKyle]

Enjoy your rheumatory problems in the future

[electic]

Bingo. Your hand is already there, no need to leave the workspace. There is no need to move up they keyboard and to the right and then up the screen to scroll.