Of Mice and Linux

Scott Robert Ladd
2003-12-08T18:06:57Z

Please indulge a minor story in regard to testing beta kernels.

Last Friday, I made a minor change to my Linux .config and rebuilt
2.6.0-test11. Soon thereafter, my mouse began getting "stuck", sometimes
for several seconds, refusing to move no matter how vigorously I wiggled
my wrist.

I rebuilt the kernel a couple of times, turning on and off various
options; I plugged and unplugged devices from the USB ports; a
considerable amount of cursing ensued. The problem was erratic -- and
frustrating, because I hadn't had much trouble with 2.6 (which I've been
using since the 2.6.4x days).

Then I borrowed a mouse from another machine, plugged it in -- and the
replacement rodent worked flawlessly. It seems that my mouse broke just
about the same time as I installed test11. Being a software guy, I
should have blamed the hardware first...

...especially since the truth was right in front of me, emblazoned
boldly across the mouse: the word "Microsoft".

I think the replacement will be from Logitech.

--
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Software Invention for High-Performance Computing