Hacker News

Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer

17 points by jibcage 4 days ago | 8 comments

Isn't the point that it's integrated in the keyboard, so that you don't have to move your hands away to use it?

pdrayton 28 minutes ago

It fills the niche of "pointing device that uses a constant amount of deskspace" in the same way that a trackball does, but differently. Different strokes, different folks.

NGL I was always a fan of TrackPoints for how compact the pointing device was. Also liked the Logitech Trackman Marble for similar reasons. It's kind of cool, though unnecessary, to have a way to get a TrackPoint on a desktop now without being locked to one discontinued Lenovo keyboard.

tejohnso 38 minutes ago

I'm typing this on a Thinkpad Trackpoint II keyboard and have no idea why I'd want an off keyboard pointing stick. If you want to use a pointing stick why not have it right next to your index finger while you're on the home row? If you want your mouse cursor control to be off of the keyboard, why not use a regular mouse?

mattas 50 minutes ago

I'm on the lookout for a wireless ball mouse. I want to relive the glory days of cleaning out the little cylinders on the inside of the mouse without being constrained by wires.

kristianp 4 days ago

This gives me an idea, does anyone sell these?:

    HEU   N
    DIN    U
     ^      M
    <⌄>   0.,E

With all full-sized keys? i.e. Numpad, arrows and home-end-insert-delete-pgup-pgdn? i.e. all the keys that Apple's laptops fucked plus numpad.

arcanemachiner 2 hours ago

You can all kinds of keypads on AliExpress that are programmable. Some of them even use QMK.

jrgd 2 hours ago

I’m using the caps unlocked CU7 every day; that’s how i discovered it : same frustration as yours!

( then i jumped onto otholinear keeb and now I’m not even bothered by apple anymore and run omarchy on a second hand thinkpad. Same excitement as when i got my first powerbook in the early 2000s…)

tybstar 4 days ago

This is made for me.