Submit Hint Search The Forums LinksStatsPollsHeadlinesRSS
14,000 hints and counting!


Click here to return to the 'Mozilla Firefox and the middle mouse button' hint
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mozilla Firefox and the middle mouse button
Authored by: scotty321 on Apr 05, '05 12:41:11PM

What is this guy talking about? My middle mouse button works just fine in Mozilla Firefox! Plus, it's not Firefox's problem to worry about how someone wants to configure their middle mouse button. Simply download the outstanding shareware program USB Overdrive, and assign all of your mouse buttons to do whatever you want in whatever programs you want! Problem solved in less than a minute! I've been using USB Overdrive for about 7 years now, back in the Mac OS 9 days and now in the Mac OS X days! Simply download USB Overdrive and be through with it!! The website is www.usboverdrive.com. Done. Problem fixed.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Mozilla Firefox and the middle mouse button
Authored by: octo on Apr 05, '05 12:59:48PM

Yes, it is Firefox's problem. Using a program like USB Overdrive is just cheating your way around a deficiency in the software. Firefox should support all 3 mouse buttons on OSX just like it does on every other platform. By leaning on hacks like USB Overdrive, you cause the real problem (missing code from the software) to be neglected for a lot time and never fixed. Then it gets really annoying when one finds themselves in a situation where those add-on hacks don't work.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Mozilla Firefox and the middle mouse button
Authored by: Xeo on Apr 05, '05 01:45:25PM

Exactly, well said.



[ Reply to This | # ]
Mozilla Firefox and the middle mouse button
Authored by: TheSpoonman on Apr 05, '05 03:56:23PM

It is a problem with Firefox, as they're using old APIs and thus not taking full advantage of the new system. Regardless of that, why should I have to pay $20 for a piece of software to fix a deficiency in a piece of FREE software?

But, since I did try USB Overdrive, I'll give my opinion: it didn't work for me. Yes, it enabled middle-clicking a link to open in a new tab, but for some reason, middle-clicking a tab did not close it. So, I can open new tabs like I can on every other OS, but I can't close them. To close them I have to double-click. Yeah, it's not a real hassle until I'm trying to work on one of my other machines and that doesn't work. Then, I get frustrated at my poor little Mac which is 25 miles away at home.

In the end, I just bought a really cheap Logitech USB mouse at Staples. I have the same middle-click on tab issue I did with USB Overdrive, but at least I got a new mouse and it was $10 cheaper.

The main problem with your logic is it prolongs the real fix. This problem has existed in Firefox for well over a year. Since the F/OSS community claims they're faster at fixing bugs than proprietary vendors, this is an unacceptable situation. And, let's keep in mind, this isn't a minor bug like IE's inability to view transparent PNGs, this one is a showstopper on the Mac. Until I buckled down and bought the mouse, I came within inches of saying "screw it" and using Opera on all my machines.

I'm glad to see from other posters though that the Mozilla tem finally got off their high horses and allowed a "klugey fix" that fixes the problem rather than whining that they don't want to do that and will eventually get to it.

---
Answering the age-old question: which is more painful, going to work or gouging your eye out with a spoon?
www.workorspoon.com



[ Reply to This | # ]