Removing Mouse Acceleration OSX

OptPrime wrote:

Chris CA:

Actually, it is broken.

So it works differently than it is designed to?

No. It works just as designed. Just because people complain/don't like it, does not mean it is broken.

All we're asking for is something simple. Give the end-user the ability to modify the acceleration curve

Your best bet would be to ask in the correct place

-> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Hi Chris,

Not interested in arguing with you as reading comprehension is not your strong suit. If something is suitably desgined, then we won't have hordes and hordes of complaints. The factor is not just comfort - its functionality - the inability to even use the mouse in applications like photoshop or video games. So yes, the acceleration curve is broken. Just because something works as designed doesn't necessarily indicate that it was designed adequately. I'm telling you now that the design is inadequate. Hence, to mitigate this factor, the OP and I am (along with countless others) asking for Apple to come up with a solution to disable the mouse acceleration. If you disagree, then more power to you, but really, don't waste my time by trying to non-sensically argue the design effectiveness in a thread where people clearly think otherwise. Translation: Apple shouldn't force their design down my throat and I don't need you to remind me what I've already done at: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Good day.

No need to insult others just because you have a grudge against Apple because their OS is not built to your exacting standards.

If something is suitably desgined, then we won't have hordes and hordes of complaints.

Hordes? Thousands ot times more "hordes" are perfectly satisfied with it, so by your definition, then nothing is wrong with it.

So yes, the acceleration curve is broken.

No it's not.

but really, don't waste my time by trying to non-sensically argue the design effectiveness in a thread

Back at 'ya.

Please do not waste our time by arguing where no one can do anything about it. Send feedback and move along. Nothing to see here.

Apple shouldn't force their design down my throat

So they showed up at yoru door and forced you use Mac OS?

Why not save yourself lots of grief and write your own mouse driver?

Better yet, send feedback here -> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Received the following from a client:
"I am writing because I need to upgrade my office computers. As you know I have used Windows XP for years, and I now need to make a change. I have looked at the iMac carefully, as my kids have one at home. Even though I'd like to switch to Apple, I am going to have to upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7.
I find the cursor movements with the mouse are too jerky. Unfortunately this will force me to continue down the Microsoft OS path. Let's get together soon so I can upgrade my office computers."

After interviewing my client and watching him him work, I can shed some additional light on the subject.

Jerky = mouse acceleration curve is too steep. When I went to his house to see if I could help him on his kids iMac. He had two issue with the mouse:

1. The slow mouse movements were way too slow.
2. The fast mouse movements were way too fast.

My client, was a Mac user until Window 95, he has been a Windows user ever since. He would like the ability to adjust the slow movement mouse speed because the Magic Mouse moves too slow when the hand movement is slow even at the highest tracking setting.

In short, he wants to be able to adjust the mouse so it feels similar to his Windows XP mouse. My client is not the only client that feels this way. Every one of my 27 inch iMac clients have expressed frustration with the mouse.

This is what I hear on a consistent basis:

The slow mouse movements seem about 50% to 100% too slow.

(Clients frequently have to lift the mouse and recenter just to move from one side of the screen to the other if they move the mouse slowly.)

I tend to agree with my clients on this issue. I have tried now for two years to appreciate the mouse acceleration curve on OS X and I just cannot. I am not exactly a computer neophyte still trying to learn how to use a mouse. Over the years I have owned the following: Commodore 128, Amiga 500, 10 Windows machines, and two iMacs OS X 10.5.6 - 10.6.5.

I continue to find mice difficult to use on my 24 inch and 27 inch iMacs. The slow mouse movements seem about 100% too slow. I am always having to pick up the mouse and recenter it because I am unable to move the full vertical range of the screen with wrist movement only.

I wish Apple would offer:

A slider to adjust the mouse speed independent of the acceleration.

A slider to adjust acceleration rate.

A hash mark identifying the standard OS X settings.

This way users could adjust the mouse to fit their own preferences and situations.

I have reported this issue to Apple via Apple Feedback and to Steve Jobs.

defaults write .GlobalPreferences com.apple.mouse.scaling #####

some people say ##### is best at -1 for windows-like cursor movement. Personally I love the mouse acceleration and when I was told about it a few years ago I didn't believe that it was there because it feels natural to me.

Thanks for the response. I have seen this before and it is useful in some aspects. Unfortunately, it does not solve the largest issue which is the slow speed of the Magic Mouse when the user is not moving the mouse quickly.

Thanks again for taking the time to post an answer!

This is my first venture onto these forums. Seems like anyone that mentions anything against a mac gets shouted down by fanboys. Even if there have been 10 separate people that have mentioned in this one thread that there is an issue. I don't really understand why they have to get so ****** defensive!

I was recently given the brand new MBP 15" as a present. I'm a long term windows user and was a bit frustrated with it at first... but I now find that snow leopard is a great operating system. However, this mouse thing is the biggest issue I have. I thought it may have been my mouse that was the problem, but after looking into that and trying several mice (including the magic mouse) it appears that it's the acceleration curve.

It is seriously a frustrating issue and results in me using my windows laptop for all work that is heavily mouse dependent, and just leaves my mac for itunes and web-browsing with the trackpad (which works amazingly by the way).

This is obviously a major issue, with a relatively simple fix. My windows mouse settings have an acceleration slider, so how hard could it be for apple to implement? I will write to the feedback link above shortly, but I find it amazing that the fanboys are so **** bent on defending apple products, when a simple issue is affecting a lot of people. Perhaps the fanboys have never felt the smooth and accurate acceleration of a windows mouse, so they have no idea that it can be better than it is on the mac!

"This is my first venture onto these forums"

And you enter with such a negative post.

It amazes me when people post on website and misread what is written.

The mouse settings are in System prefs.

If those do not fit your needs, then look for an application that will adjust the settings to your liking.

The system is what it is. Getting ticked off at other users here because it cannot be changed the way they want will not help.

It has nothing to do with "fanboy" (whatever that is).

Just commenting on the negativity that I witnessed.

I have not misread what was written. The mouse settings that are available do not provide the options that people are asking for, and it seems crazy that on an very expensive laptop I cannot adjust a setting that is obviously giving many users frustration. Not only that, I'm expected to go and purchase a third party fix for the problem!

The reason I have a go at the fanboys such as yourself is because this thread was created to comment on something that could be improved in the mac and potentially increase their demand. But you guys just want to tell people to **** off and get used to it.

The mac is great, the OS is great, I just think that apple should include this relatively simple fix. A quick search of the forums shows that this issue has been around for some time now.

Possible suggestion of 3rd Party mouse with personally set DPI settings? Not so much a 'fix' as it is a work around.

PS. You mentioned this in one of your earlier posts:

"Here's a blurb from the Mac OS X reference library.

-> Mac OS X reference library - XSET(1)

"mouse The m option controls the mouse parameters; it may be abbreviated to 'm'. The parameters for the mouse are `acceleration' and `threshold'. The acceleration can be specified as an integer, or as a simple fraction. The mouse, or whatever pointer the machine is connected to, will go `acceleration' times as fast when it travels more than `threshold' pixels in a short time. This way, the mouse can be used for precise alignment when it is moved slowly, yet it can be set to travel across the screen in a flick of the wrist when desired. One or both parameters for the m option can be omitted, but if only one is given, it will be interpreted as the acceleration. If no parameters or the flag 'default' is used, the system defaults will be set"

Is there a way that I can edit this setting manually? I'm not used to the mac system, so have no idea where to find things.

I didn't find that much negativity.

this thread was created to comment on something that could be improved in the mac and potentially increase their demand.

Okay.

But you guys just want to tell people to **** off and get used to it.

Please reread.

Why should users who explain how it works and suggest sending feedback to Apple, get slammed for that??

Is there a way that I can edit this setting manually?

That is from the OS X Developers guide.

There are some apps to change the mouse settings so it seems it can be changed but not through any standard settings.

To be fair Chris, you haven't been that negative. But you have sounded a bit like a fanboy. The others on here such as RC+R and Thomas have been quite rude.

Wooohooo... I think I've managed to find a free work around:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/drivers/intellipointandintellitypepro.html

Installing this mircosoft driver appears to gives a similar acceleration and feel to a windows mouse via the intellipoint pointer speed setting, but it still does not give an actual acceleration controller.

NorthSide wrote:

To be fair Chris, you haven't been that negative. But you have sounded a bit like a fanboy. The others on here such as RC+R and Thomas have been quite rude.

I think you are reading into this something that isn't there. I have never said anything meant to be rude to anyone. I have explained what I know about the history of Apple's GUI development, why its implementation of pointer acceleration works the way it does, & the kind of settings that would be required to change it. Early in the discussion I mentioned third party alternatives & like others suggested Apple feedback as the appropriate way to contact Apple about system level changes.

That doesn't make me a fanboy. Apple did offer the first commercially viable GUI interface in 1984, long before Windows even existed, & the variable, velocity-sensitive pointer acceleration characteristics it included have withstood the test of time. That is fact, & I don't think it is rude to mention it, nor does that make me a fanboy.

If you want something else, for instance velocity-insensitive acceleration characteristics, or no acceleration at all, I have no problem with that, but I think it is in your best interests to describe what you want more precisely than some variation of 'it should be like Windows.'