How do you use a laptop touchpad? Settle a debate with your vote!

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When click-and-dragging a window using a laptop touchpad, do you...

  • Click with your thumb and move with your index finger.

  • Click with your index finger and move with your middle finger.

  • Other one-handed, two finger and/or thumb combo.

  • Click with a finger/thumb on one hand, and scroll with a finger/thumb on the other.


Results are only viewable after voting.

Gremlyn

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My wife and I disagree on how we think the majority of people use touchpads/clickpads on laptops. I know they are a big PITA sometimes, but for the sake of settling this debate, please answer the poll assuming you have no choice but to use the touchpad on the laptop...
 
When casually using a laptop, I don't use the clicking buttons at all unless I am right clicking. Instead I tap the touchpad itself (that will generally result in a left click). Since I work in IT though, sometimes I need to get down to business... when that happens, I use my right hand middle finger to move the mouse on the touchpad, and my left middle finger for left click and my left index finger for right click.

Prost! :)
 
I hold down the button with my left hand and pound ten colours of crap out of the touchpad with a large hammer, then use my desktop.
 
What were you two on when you had this debate?

My new-ish laptop has the new clickpad, where it is a flat surface with no physical buttons, just a link denoting where the buttons 'are' and she always bitches up a storm when trying to use my laptop because her method apparently does not work well with this new mouse style, though I have virtually zero problems using it...
 
The new Macbook Air has a touchpad that is awesome. Light tap anywhere to click. Two finger touch anywhere for right click. Two fingers up or down anywhere to scroll. All this from a guy who was windows only until the macbook arrive via Fedex yesterday.
 
When casually using a laptop, I don't use the clicking buttons at all unless I am right clicking. Instead I tap the touchpad itself (that will generally result in a left click). Since I work in IT though, sometimes I need to get down to business... when that happens, I use my right hand middle finger to move the mouse on the touchpad, and my left middle finger for left click and my left index finger for right click.

Prost! :)

What he said... except for the working in IT part.
 
I use the touchpad for single clicks 95% of the time, using the left button only when I need to. The right button is used as needed. I tend to track with my index finger and hit the buttons with my thumb.

I can use trackpads, trackpoints, mice, touchscreens all equally. Since I no longer own any apple computers, it's easier to be consistent in the trackpad use. My Lenovo X301 has both the trackpad and trackpoint. But, I default to the trackpad (I normally have the trackpoint disabled)... When I NEED to, I use a bluetooth mouse with my laptop/tablet. I do like how the trackpad on most laptops allow you to scroll up/down left/right easily these days.

BTW, I'm also in the IT field...
 
I voted "Click with your thumb and move with your index finger." but honestly I'm rarely without a mouse. And yes, I haul it to meetings and so forth!
 
The new Macbook Air has a touchpad that is awesome. Light tap anywhere to click. Two finger touch anywhere for right click. Two fingers up or down anywhere to scroll. All this from a guy who was windows only until the macbook arrive via Fedex yesterday.

This. Light double tap to select and drag.
 
The new Macbook Air has a touchpad that is awesome. Light tap anywhere to click. Two finger touch anywhere for right click. Two fingers up or down anywhere to scroll. All this from a guy who was windows only until the macbook arrive via Fedex yesterday.

Also three finger swipe to the left for the back button, to the right for forward.
 
When I had the old 4:3 sized laptop it was move with index and click with thumb since the touch pad was about 2.14 miles from the edge. With most of the current laptops it's almost like they said "Lets see how long it takes for them to notice we are moving the touch pad closer and closer to the under side of the laptop". So middle finger to move, index to click and thumb underneath pushing up.
 
Click with a finger/thumb on one hand, and scroll with a finger/thumb on the other.

Unless I will just be needing left clicks, then I just tap the pad.
 
I move with my index finger and click with my index finger on the pad, not usually the buttons at all (unless the thing doesn't support that feature, which is VERY rare today), and I also click-drag to move things.

So whatever option that is in your list, that's me.
 
I don't even have a desktop computer. Only use my laptop as I travel a lot anyways. I HATE the mouse pads that are built into laptops. I have a Logitech M305 wireless mouse. It's definitely the way to go. It uses about two AA batteries a year. It has a tiny sensor that plugs into a USB port and never needs to be removed. It was less than $30 at Best Buy. If you have a laptop, you need one of these. Laptop mouse pads suck balls.

26-104-358-TS
 
I plug in a mouse and disable the damned touchpad.

HATE HATE HATE them with a passion.
 
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