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+---
+template:
+slug: m575
+title: The Logitech Ergo M575 trackball
+subtitle: A short review of my first ever trackball
+date: 2022-07-01
+---
+
+Ever since switching to a split keyboard, using a mouse has been rather
+awkward. Do I put it in between the two halves? Not enough space. Do I
+put it to the right? Again, not enough space since that's where my
+notebook sits. And then there was the pain. I had to take routine breaks
+from using the mouse due to pain on the bottom-left side of my palm. 
+
+Enter, the trackball. Trackballs are pointing devices much like the
+slightly more popular rodent. They're super old -- dating right back to
+the post-World War II era.[^1] Largely speaking, there are two kinds of
+trackballs: thumbballs and fingerballs. A thumbball, like the name
+suggests, is operated using the thumb. A fingerball (also called as
+ambidextrous trackballs) has the ball in the center, with buttons on
+either side. They behave quite like a laptop's touchpad. 
+
+[^1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trackball#History
+
+Trackballs take up very little space (check), and are known to help with
+RSI (not that I have RSI, or maybe it is, but check). So I got one.
+
+![logitech ergo m575](https://cdn.icyphox.sh/KPMds.jpg)
+
+I got the [Logitech Ergo
+M575](https://www.logitech.com/en-in/products/mice/m575-ergo-wireless-trackball.910-005873.html).
+This is the cheapest Bluetooth trackball available in India. I bought it
+for around INR 3500 (≈45 USD). It sits comfortably and stably in between
+the two halves of my keyboard; it is so much easier on my hand -- it has
+greatly alleviated my pain. Pictured below is my actual desk right
+now[^2].
+
+![my messy table](https://cdn.icyphox.sh/O97-8.jpg)
+[^2]: That is indeed another split keyboard in the works.
+
+The M575 is larger than your typical mouse but that's fine since it
+doesn't move. Its curved shape is very satisfying to hold -- it fills
+your entire palm. The build quality is pretty solid. It's all plastic,
+but that's a good thing. Rubberized finishes are harder to clean and start
+getting gooey and icky after a while.
+
+<div class="row">
+<img src="https://cdn.icyphox.sh/PeP0g.jpg" style="width:300px" />
+<img src="https://cdn.icyphox.sh/gR2La.jpg" style="width:300px" />
+<img src="https://cdn.icyphox.sh/Hdw-p.jpg" style="width:300px" />
+</div>
+
+There are a total of 5 buttons: the left and right, scroll wheel and the
+forward/backward buttons, which sit to the top left. I'm not sure I like
+their positioning -- I much prefer them to the left side, by the thumb.
+But I suppose the ball takes up that space. Speaking of the ball: it's
+this sparkly plastic-ish (not sure really) material and it's pretty
+light. It can (and needs to be) popped off now and then for cleaning.
+The ball sits on three ceramic bearings which are very smooth.
+
+It ships with a single AA battery with an advertised runtime of 24
+months. Connectivity is either via Bluetooth or a USB-A dongle found in
+the battery compartment.
+
+As for software, [Solaar](https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar) is a GUI
+(and a CLI) for various Logitech devices, the M575 included. I couldn't
+get much use out of it aside from tweaking DPI settings.
+
+![solaar screenshot](https://cdn.icyphox.sh/2d09m.png)
+
+A neat trick, and decidedly more useful, is enabling scrolling using the
+trackball. On NixOS[^3], this simply requires adding the following to
+`services.xserver`:
+```nix
+libinput = {
+  enable = true;
+  mouse = {
+    scrollButton = 2;
+    scrollMethod = "button";
+  };
+};
+```
+
+With this, I can simply hold down the left and right buttons (equivalent
+to pressing the scroll wheel), and scroll with the trackball. Want to
+scroll all the way to the bottom? Just flick! It's glorious.
+
+I'm a baller now.
+
+[^3]: Refer to [this Arch Wiki
+    entry](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/libinput#Scroll_with_mouse_by_holding_a_button)
+    for how it's done on other Linuxes.

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