¢ADDING A MOUSE¢by Kevin Cooke¢¢Part 1¢¢ I had been thinking about adding a mouse to my computer for some time. An article in Page 6 about a program called DIAMOND GOS first sparked off the idea, but the cost was not within my price range at that time. Besides, the cheapest mouse I could find locally cost 30 pounds, and I didn't want to use Diamond with a touch tablet or a joystick. The idea was forgotten.¢¢ Then, almost 3 years later, the prospect of owning a mouse finally became a reality. I was at AMS7 when I saw a stand selling mice for only 12 pounds. This was too good a bargain to be missed so I bought one straight away. What follows in the rest of this, and hopefully the many other articles in the series, is my adventures with the world of mice. You can then judge for yourself whether a mouse is worth buying, and what software it can be used with.¢¢ The mouse which I bought was made by Quickshot. The first thing to make sure of when choosing your mouse is that it is Atari ST compatible. The Quickshot mouse is compatible with either the Amiga or ST, by changing the position of a small switch on the bottom of it.¢¢ I also purchased a mouse mat. Mice don't like dirt, so a proper mat is certainly advisable to keep your mouse functioning properly. I use an Aidata mouse mat. The main body of the mat is made of a strong foam type substance, but has a layer of smooth vinyl-type material on top. There are many types of mats available, but it is a good idea to choose one that can be bent a little without breaking - you never know where you will want to rest your mouse. At the moment, Dean Garraghty is selling mouse mats at only 2 pounds each (contact: 62 Thompson Avenue, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 ONU).¢¢ Next issue I will be taking a detailed look at one of the programs which can be used with a mouse - the SAM desktop system.¢¢¢MOUSE TRIVIA¢¢ Did you know that in 1988, a company called GLOBAL COMPUTER SERVICES was advertising a mouse package in an issue of the OLD Atari User. One of the programs in the package was an Atari Artist GAD translator which I believed allowed a mouse to be used with these well known programs. If only this translator was still available today!¢
