[numbol]

It was also implemented physically in some mouses

for example, Logtiech G502: " Dual-Mode Hyper-Fast Scroll Wheel

Unlock the scroll wheel for hyper-fast continuous scrolling to spin quickly through long pages, or lock it down for single click precision scrolling. The weighty, metal wheel delivers confident, smooth and satisfying control for either mode. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aANF2OOVX40 ( Interstellar Mouse ^^ )

[jaquesy]

This is what I love about the MX Master 3, it's like a hybrid for this where it has precision scrolling when moving it slowly but give it a flick and it will automatically unlock and go into smooth scrolling. https://youtu.be/KTzZui0nrrs

I wish this feature was on more mice

[Hakkin]

> I wish this feature was on more mice

Logitech owns a patent[0] on this mechanism which prevents it from being incorporated in other products (without licensing it).

[0] https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110227828A1/en

> The present invention generally relates to a control device, such as a mouse, and more particularly relates to multi-mode roller for a control device having a selectable smooth-roller mode and a ratchet-roller mode.

[Kwpolska]

I find this feature annoying and am very unhappy when it randomly activates due to some driver bug (requiring me to open the Logitech software and possibly reboot the mouse).

[whitemary]

Yeah I’m addicted to it. I can't use any other mouse since trying the Mx Master 3 scroll wheel.

[voltaireodactyl]

I switched to an Elecom huge trackball and miss that wheel every single day.

A year ago I figured out I could use a spare button to toggle using the trackball itself for free scroll, total game changer, but still miss that wheel.

[369548684892826]

MX Anywhere 3 also has this, the only ambidextrous option!

[goosedragons]

No. It's fake ambidextrous like most of Logitech's mice. It has buttons only usable by the right thumb and a subtle change in shape to accommodate them. The G903 is actually ambidextrous letting you customize whether you want buttons on the left or right side and still has the same sort of scroll wheel (although not automatic but I hate that feature anyways).

[369548684892826]

I click forward/back with my ring finger, but I guess it depends on your grip how achievable that is.

[jimbob45]

Until you have an unlocked wheel, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

On the other hand, gestures in Firefox, specifically “Scroll to Bottom”, have made me miss mine less. Also, unlocked scroll wheels get you banned within seconds on Counter Strike servers for input lag.

[Kwpolska]

My mouse (MX Master) has an unlockable wheel, and an auto-unlock feature. I have both disabled, precision scrolling is much better for my reading style, and it doesn't randomly trigger things.

[andai]

>unlocked scroll wheels get you banned within seconds on Counter Strike servers for input lag

What's the connection between those two?

[jimbob45]

I meant to say input spam, sorry!

[moogly]

Sounds like an engine issue to me.

[simooooo]

Endless accidental weapon changes

[rasz]

you can just click the scroll wheel

[mock-possum]

It’s a feature that I rolled my eyes at when I got my mouse, but now use several times a day. Unlock the wheel and spiiiiiiiiiiiiiin until I get far enough down the page. So much more convenient and versatile than clicking and dragging the scroll bar tab.

[neandrake]

On Firefox I use ScrollAnywhere extension which I configure to use right-down drag to scroll large amounts with little movement. Helps tremendously with lengthy pages and I miss being able to use it in code editors.

[kevviiinn]

The G502 is a phenomenal mouse

[pbhjpbhj]

On Win 10 ours randomly changes dpi. The multi-user setup is abysmal; one user can screw up another's settings. It spams notifications when you cause a quick-change-dpi event (you can turn off notifications, it's a weird default). It works very badly without the app running, ie it's a soft-mouse tailored to Windows. There's no Logitech Linux app (though the one I use is superior to the Windows app, IMO, clearer with less cruft -- https://github.com/libratbag/piper). Latest update reverted my dpi settings.

I'm not particularly impressed.

[kevviiinn]

I use mine on Linux but I don't use any application for settings. I set mine under windows using the internal memory on the mouse and I've never had it change anything randomly on me besides unknowingly hitting the physical DPI button by accident

[berkes]

I have one of those at my current job.

I very much dislike it. Probably because I'm not used to it.

Gnome, my DE, has all sorts of 'scroll on hover' tricks. Scroll while hovering an app icon, will "alt tab" between windows of that app. Scroll over the volume icon to up or down it. And so forth.

At least once a day, all my windows get jumbled, or the volume set to 100, because the wheel was spinning while I moved my mouse over something. I did learn of some nice scroll-on-hover features in Gnome this way, though.

[pmontra]

I don't like DEs that move stuff around. I disable every gesture and shortcut in settings in my Gnome DEs, then I enable the bare minimum to switch between tabs of the same window, windows on the same virtual desktop and between desktops, scroll with the touchpad and basically that's it.

[83457]

Just have to get used to it. I hate using other mice after using free spring for years. I lock it maybe a few times a year for the occassional need of discrete scroll wheel steps.

[nikita2206]

But that’s also a general Linux DEs issue. That windows take focus on hover, this has caused so many unintentional hotkey captures by other apps or as you say scroll capture

[pbhjpbhj]

There are lots of options (in KDE at least), it's not like you have to have focus on hover, you can have focus-on- click, and IIRC set dwell times before focus kicks in.

[deutschepost]

I wish there would be a setting that the mouse works normal when locked, but would scroll one pixel at a time when unlocked. It feels very unnatural to scroll with an unlocked mousewheel and not scroll when doing small adjustments.

[spoonjim]

How would that have acceleration?

[jzwinck]

I used one of those mice for many years. It doesn't so much "enable acceleration" as it does "disable deceleration."

A button disengages the wheel from the detents that most mouse wheels have, so it acts like a flywheel.