Re: Slack 9.1 / KDE, on brand new Intel mobo (don't remember the number)
with Pent 4/2.5 ghz, 1 GB RAM.

I have a Microsoft brand optical corded mouse that has a USB connector, but
it is plugged in to the PS2 port of the box via an adapter (I've been told
that USB mice don't work too well in Linux.)

I don't like the "feel" of the M$ mouse and I have an HP one that has a
nicer "click - touch." If I yank out the current one and plug in the new
one will the box freeze? Or do I need to power off to change the mouse.

Thanks,
Al

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Adams-Blake Company wrote:

> I don't like the "feel" of the M$ mouse and I have an HP one that has a
> nicer "click - touch." If I yank out the current one and plug in the new
> one will the box freeze? Or do I need to power off to change the mouse.

I don't think you can yank a PS/2 mouse, USB and (perhaps) serial, but not
PS/2. I think something gets detected/setup on boot with them. At least
this has been my experience with yanking out mice by accident over the
years.

Blumf

PS. Can I have the old M$ one, I like them

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On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 22:18:09 -0800, Adams-Blake Company wrote:

> I don't like the "feel" of the M$ mouse and I have an HP one that has a
> nicer "click - touch." If I yank out the current one and plug in the new
> one will the box freeze? Or do I need to power off to change the mouse.
>

The PS/2 connector is *not* designed to be hot-pluggable. There is a
0.5-1.0% chance you will toast the logic lurking behind the port if you
yank and reattach a keyboard or mouse.

This means that it's time for a new mobo.

HTH,

std::

REF: <URL:http://panda.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu/~achapwes/PICmicro/PS2/ps2.htm>

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On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 22:18:09 -0800, Adams-Blake Company <atakeoutcanton@adams-blaketakeout.com> wrote:
> I have a Microsoft brand optical corded mouse that has a USB connector, but
> it is plugged in to the PS2 port of the box via an adapter (I've been told
> that USB mice don't work too well in Linux.)

USB mice work great in Linux... they're very easy to set up and work
just as well as any PS/2 mouse. I don't know who told you USB mouses
don't work too well in Linux... but it seems to me they were quite
wrong. All the external mice I use on my systems are USB mouses.

> I don't like the "feel" of the M$ mouse and I have an HP one that has a
> nicer "click - touch." If I yank out the current one and plug in the new
> one will the box freeze? Or do I need to power off to change the mouse.

HP makes mice? I didn't know that.

The rule of thumb with PS/2 devices is you don't hot-swap them. I guess
the reasoning has something to do with the possibility of overloading
some circuit in your motherboard when you pull the mouse out or plug in
the new one. That said, I do hot swap them when I switch mouses on my
computers, and haven't had a problem for it. I also hot swap CD-ROM
drives, too... same risks, again, no problems.

If the HP mouse can be plugged in to your USB port, just plug it in
there and set the M$ mouse off to the side. Then, the next time you're
going to reboot for a kernel upgrade or whatnot, remember to unplug the
M$ mouse before firing the maching back up. USB devices can be
hot-swapped without any ill effects almost all the time.

I believe I've posted here and in alt.os.linux.gentoo a few times in the
last few months about how to get USB mice working under Linux with X.
The kernel options necessary to enable such a thing, the modules you
need to load depending on kernel version, and the XF86Config settings
necessary for the mouse to work in X were all discussed. Google should
be able to find the posts with a little elbow grease.

Have fun. :-)

--
Rob | If not safe,
Email and Jabber: | one can never be free.
athlonrob at axpr dot net |
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On 2003-12-01, Dave <davespamtrap@onemail.at> wrote:
>
> The PS/2 connector is *not* designed to be hot-pluggable. There is a
> 0.5-1.0% chance you will toast the logic lurking behind the port if you
> yank and reattach a keyboard or mouse.

Just as a reference point, many years ago I did fry the PS/2 port and
the keyboard pulling the plug from a machine that was powered on.
Fortunately, the mobo was fine other than not being able to use a PS/2
keyboard.

OTOH, I've done many since then (never on an important box!) and haven't
had problems. As always, YMMV.

- --keith

- --
kkeller-usenet@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us
(try just my userid to email me)
AOLSFAQ=http://wombat.san-francisco.ca.us/cgi-bin/fom

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AthlonRob <junkmail@axpr.net> says...

>USB mice work great in Linux... they're very easy to set up and work
>just as well as any PS/2 mouse. I don't know who told you USB mouses
>don't work too well in Linux... but it seems to me they were quite
>wrong. All the external mice I use on my systems are USB mouses.

I make sure that I have a USB and a PS/2 mouse as well as a
USB and a PS/2 keyboard plugged in whenever I install any OS.
Slackware 9.1, Windows 2000 and Windows ME all find all four,
and work fine[1] with any combination. The dual keyboard also
works fine under MS-DOS and FreeDOS, which tells me that the
BIOS is lending a helping hand.




[1] As much as any Microsoft OS can be considered to be "working fine."

--
Guy Macon, Electronics Engineer & Project Manager for hire.
Remember Doc Brown from the _Back to the Future_ movies? Do you
have an "impossible" engineering project that only someone like
Doc Brown can solve? My resume is at http://www.guymacon.com/

On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 01:28:23 -0800, Keith Keller
<kkeller-usenet@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us> wrote:

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>
>On 2003-12-01, Dave <davespamtrap@onemail.at> wrote:
>>
>> The PS/2 connector is *not* designed to be hot-pluggable. There is a
>> 0.5-1.0% chance you will toast the logic lurking behind the port if you
>> yank and reattach a keyboard or mouse.
>
>Just as a reference point, many years ago I did fry the PS/2 port and
>the keyboard pulling the plug from a machine that was powered on.
>Fortunately, the mobo was fine other than not being able to use a PS/2
>keyboard.

I did the same on an IBM system a few years ago. The repairman told me that the
mouse port and the keyboard port shared a power line, and that disconnecting the
mouse caused (somehow) this hot line to short out the keyboard driver chip.

--
Lew Pitcher
IT Consultant, Enterprise Technology Solutions
Toronto Dominion Bank Financial Group

(Opinions expressed are my own, not my employers')

Keith Keller <kkeller-usenet@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us> wrote:
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pgp trash troll delete

> On 2003-12-01, Dave <davespamtrap@onemail.at> wrote:
> >
> > The PS/2 connector is *not* designed to be hot-pluggable. There is a
> > 0.5-1.0% chance you will toast the logic lurking behind the port if you
> > yank and reattach a keyboard or mouse.

> Just as a reference point, many years ago I did fry the PS/2 port and
> the keyboard pulling the plug from a machine that was powered on.

Did you have pgp activated?

> Fortunately, the mobo was fine other than not being able to use a PS/2
> keyboard.

> OTOH, I've done many since then (never on an important box!) and haven't
> had problems. As always, YMMV.

We find that pgp can mess things up. But that's only one reason
why using pgp in a situation that does not call for it is a waste
of time and resources.

Those who have consideration for the usenet community do not use
pgp indiscriminately.

cordially, as always,

rm

AthlonRob wrote:


> I believe I've posted here and in alt.os.linux.gentoo a few times in the
> last few months about how to get USB mice working under Linux with X.
> The kernel options necessary to enable such a thing, the modules you
> need to load depending on kernel version, and the XF86Config settings
> necessary for the mouse to work in X were all discussed. Google should
> be able to find the posts with a little elbow grease.
>
> Have fun. :-)
>

Hmmmm. I took a look at the old Mandrake box and IT has a USB mouse... so I
guess you are correct about USB mice and Linux. I'll hunt around for your
posting and see how to connect a USB mouse. I can understand having to make
some kind of a change in XF86Config but why would I have to change the
kernel and recompile? Isn't USB "stuff" built into Slackware's 2.4.22
kernel? My camera and my Palm pilot work OK.

Anyway, I'm off to hunt down your posting. As an asside, it would be nice if
some kind soul kept a Slack blog or FAQ that has all of this mundane config
stuff on it.... mice, cameras, palm pilots, scannes, etc. I know the
wombat site is there, but a lot of it is out of date and some of it
presupposes that the reader is a guru in the first place. Just a thought,
not meant to inflame anyone.

Al

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Adams-Blake Company <atakeoutcanton@adams-blaketakeout.com> is
thought to have typed the following text on 2003-12-01:

> Anyway, I'm off to hunt down your posting. As an asside, it would be nice if
> some kind soul kept a Slack blog or FAQ that has all of this mundane config
> stuff on it.... mice, cameras, palm pilots, scannes, etc. I know the

Why don't you volunteer as a kind soul? It sounds as a good idea.

> wombat site is there, but a lot of it is out of date and some of it
> presupposes that the reader is a guru in the first place. Just a thought,

Well, it's a Faq-o-Matic, you can add to it yourself to make it more
up-to-date or newbie-friendly.

If you do create such a FAQ/weblog or find someone who'll do it for
you, you'll have to remember that you'll have to add to such a thing
for it to become usefull.

- --
Bartosz Oudekerk

Play Rogue, visit exotic locations, meet strange creatures
and kill them.
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