• whodatdair@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    Hilarious. Logitech’s software has always been an afterthought and now they want me to pay for it? Goooo fuck yourselves. I had to sell a perfectly good keyboard and mouse because their stupid g-hub is harder to navigate than a g-spot.

    It kept doing updates and every time it did, it would clobber all my macros and bindings and basically factory reset. I had a txt document on my desktop with all my configs so I could set them back up whenever it decided the configuration gods required a sacrifice.

    • rtxn@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      G-hub also doesn’t work on Linux, which is actually a massive advantage. I use Solaar with a couple of shell scripts and it’s amazing. (edit) Actually it’s a Python app, so it might even work on Windows.

      I’ve also had to blacklist the HID++ kernel module because high-res scrolling on a loose, mushy ratcheting wheel is awful.

    • Lippy@fedia.io
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      1 month ago

      G Hub doesn’t work with my old trusty G11 keyboard either. Since it’s both required for Logitech’s newer peripherals and also requires uninstalling the old Logitech Gaming Software which would reduce the functionality of my keyboard, it effectively banishes any future consideration for Logitech’s peripherals.

      It’s basically moot since I run Linux now, but I don’t fancy the quality of Logitech’s products either these days. It’s a shame since their stuff used to be really solid. My X540 speakers are as old as my keyboard (16 years) and also refuse to die.

    • stoy@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      I started boycotting them when they started forcing a program to be downloaded, installed and run automatically on any pc running Windows 10 just by plugging a Logitech mouse/keyboard in to the USB port.

      It installes through Windows Update, and is called Logitech Download Helper.

      I am fine with Windows Update supplying and installing drivers, but using it to deploy program is scummy…

      So now, I am on Xtrfy mice and Ducky keyboards.

  • SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    A comment on the article: “I will go back to a command line before I pay a fucking subscription for a mouse.”

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      A mouse is not a complex device. African countries can produce computer mice. I mean, using USB requires paying for the license and circuitry for the USB controller, which is why I hate USB for simple periphery, older interfaces solve the problem better. Anyways, they can produce USB mice too. They can even easier produce PS/2 mice.

      • KyuubiNoKitsune@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 month ago

        Damn, that’s pretty racist. You know I come from an “African country” that produces Mercedes right, or like, did the first heart transplant.

        Im not sure what you’re trying to infer by what you’re saying, like we’re all some backwards ass fuckwits with 0 ability to do anything? Fuck, we used to produce our own RAM at a stage. Nuclear bombs even.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          South Africa excluded as a former colonial state.

          Im not sure what you’re trying to infer by what you’re saying, like we’re all some backwards ass fuckwits with 0 ability to do anything? Fuck, we used to produce our own RAM at a stage. Nuclear bombs even.

          I live in Russia, I could have written “ex-USSR and African countries” so that you’d not feel offended. Would have the same meaning.

          Point being having actual electronics production and not assembly.

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Not in every dimension, but in that of producing computer mice yes it is. Which is all that is relevant to this conversation.

              By the way, I know that sub-Saharan Africa in general is becoming better very fast, and that Sahel has record population growth, and that Africa as a continent has bright future.

              While Russia may hope for that only after a fucking revolution.

              These are just irrelevant.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            1 month ago

            The irony of somebody from Russia calling anywhere else a shithole is just profound. Don’t you guys have to pour water in your toilets to flush them? The rest of the world has indoor plumbing mate, even Africa.

            Anyway everyone knows that China produces all of the cheap crap anyway, so why wouldn’t you go at them?

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Don’t you guys have to pour water in your toilets to flush them?

              Are you high or something? Why would we?

              The rest of the world has indoor plumbing mate, even Africa.

              I would expect an entire continent to have some variability.

              Anyway everyone knows that China produces all of the cheap crap anyway, so why wouldn’t you go at them?

              China produces all of the crap. Without the “cheap” constraint.

      • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 month ago

        USB is better for modern computing since it doesnt operate on an interrupt basis, like PS2, that’s the problem with PS2, USB is polling based, so it always calls, which also means it’s a lot more versatile and flexible, because you can just call and receive whatever the fuck you want from it.

        If you were to use PS2 today, you would likely see a significant performance impact.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Apparently nobody understood in which context this was said.

          I meant a Star Wars Expanded Universe-like or solarpunk-like or some other imagined future (but with that element of utopia) world where computers are produced as widely as screwdrivers, are more modular and interoperable and competencies are also more widespread, and where computing is radically simpler due to these two requirements. Because you can’t have TSMC fabs everywhere.

          USB is by far too complex a protocol for this when you don’t necessarily need it.

          Also many motherboards still have PS/2 , no significant performance impacts, you might have mixed something up. Anyway, from a computer mouse you don’t need much.

          • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 month ago

            Also many motherboards still have PS/2

            it’s mostly a legacy thing, either industry boards which are used with windows 95, or boards that just include PS2 because, features™

            no significant performance impacts

            well, part of the problem is that in order to handle mouse inputs, the PS2 calls an interrupt which stops the entire cpu and forces it to focus on the user input, until it kills it likely over a cycle count metric, and then returns back to what it was doing, though perhaps this was back in the day when interrupts were more common, i wouldn’t be surprised if modern PS2 is just conversion into USB lmao.

            you can argue that USB is complex, and it’s not all that complex, it’s just serialized data transmission, the benefit of it’s “complexity” being the massively increased transmission bandwidth compared to something like serial, which is like 32kb/s historically.

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Yes, I know. I should clarify that all this was in the context of some imagined future sustainable computing with decentralized production and a bit of luddism.

              As in “how would we live in spacefaring future if the PCs we could have were all comparable to Amiga 500”.

              • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                1 month ago

                that’s definitely an interesting thought, i would figure it’s probably the most primitive source of communication, I.E. directly managed serial, or probably ethernet, which has an extremely broad range of applications, and standards, from anything from coaxial cables and ring networks, to twisted pair serialized transmission and switched tree networks.

        • yeehaw@lemmy.ca
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          1 month ago

          I’m not trying to disagree here but I was curious, this is what I discovered:

          "Yes, it is possible to make a USB device without paying the licensing fee, but there are limitations and risks involved:

          1. No USB Logo: You won’t be able to use the official USB logo on your product or marketing materials. The USB logo signifies that the product has passed compliance testing and adheres to USB standards.

          2. Compliance Issues: Without certification, there is no guarantee that your device will be fully compliant with USB specifications. This could lead to interoperability issues with other USB devices and systems.

          3. Legal Risks: Using USB technology without proper licensing and certification might expose you to legal risks if the USB-IF enforces its intellectual property rights.

          4. Market Perception: Consumers and businesses often prefer certified products as they are deemed reliable and trustworthy. Lacking certification might affect your product’s market acceptance.

          Despite these challenges, some manufacturers choose to proceed without licensing, especially for low-cost or experimental products. However, for commercial and mass-market products, obtaining proper certification is generally advisable to ensure quality and legal compliance."

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          It’s complex enough if you are making some hobbyist device.

          I’m imagining some world with production of anything related to personal computers being as decentralized as that of hand screwdrivers.

          In that context USB is complex.

  • TK420@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I didn’t see Sonos being dropped from my list of companies to buy products from in 2024, is Logitech joining that list this year too?

    On the right track it seems!

  • astropenguin5@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    To be fair they only said having a subscription for the accompanying software was a ‘possibility’, not that it would need one, and that it would be likely to be in the ~$200 price range, and with upgradeability and repairability in mind, as well as reliant on software updates.

    Honestly depending on how much they lean toward the subscription and/or software update reliance having a mouse designed to last a lifetime and be upgradeable and repairable would be nice, even at a rather higher price point.

  • dinckel@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    A brand, that hasn’t sold anything with good software/firmware, is trying to make a software-focused product. Peak comedy

  • rustydomino@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    lmfao. At one point the Logitech mouse driver for MacOS was a 1GB download. They want me to pay for that shit??? gtfo.

    • Dave.@aussie.zone
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      1 month ago

      It was a mouse driver in a windows XP VM. Really saves on development costs that way.

  • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Well that means I need to find a new mouse because of them even suggesting this crap. I really like my MX Master. Beefy with some weight.

    • Deceptichum@quokk.au
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      1 month ago

      Or just buy 4-5 now and last the next decade.

      Shame there’s no a mechanical mouse movement to create an industry of high quality alternatives we can buy.

      • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        There’s some OSH designs for trackballs and “ultra light weight gaming mice”, not much for the more standard stuff, just like with most mech keyboards, which are primarily for enthusiasts, often with “deck flex” for a “softer bottom out feel” (and shorter life).

    • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      I actually know how to do this off the top of my head and you don’t need to write a driver for it, you could simply use an Arduino Micro.

      The Micro (and other Arduino-compatible Atmel ATMEGA 32u4-based microcontrollers) have native USB support so they have a library you can import that will work with generic USB keyboard/mouse drivers. It would be up to you to rig up the sensors and buttons, make a case and write a little firmware.

      • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Coming from the same side as you, in my experience just about any microcontroller that includes USB hardware support (which is very common even in the stupidly cheap ones) has software support for acting as a mouse or keyboard, not just via the Arduino framework but also in the manufacturer’s libraries.

        This is because the comms for that stuff in USB is an USB standard called USB HID (stands for Human Interface Device) which works not just for mice and keyboards but also for stuff like joysticks, game controllers and so on.

        Meanwhile on the computer side, also because of all of this being standardized, support comes include in the OS and no drivers are needed. In fact even back in Windows 7 when you might need to install a driver, all that the “driver” was, was a text file telling the OS to, for a USB device with a specific ID (USB devices identify themselves using a two number code), use the OS’ built-in USB HID support.

        Nowadays the difficult part in making a good mouse or a keyboard is the mechanical side, not the hardware or software.

        Unsurprisingly you can buy a basic mouse for 2 bucks from places like Aliexpress that’s actually decent and reliable.

        I really have no clue how Logitech expects to get away with this idea of theirs. Maybe they intend to leverage Brand loyalty for it?

        • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          Yeah what Arduino brings to the table is easily purchasable electronics and reference material/tutorials written for middle schoolers and not electrical engineers to understand. They invent basically nothing but make things more accessible.

          The thing I would need to do the most googling on is the actual XY sensor. I don’t know off the top of my head how available an optical mouse sensor is, or if you’d have to build a ball mouse, etc. I have occasionally played with USB HIDs but never for anything legitimate.

  • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I already pay a subscription when I have to keep buying the hardware designed to break. I don’t think I’ve ever had a middle mouse button working for long.

    It’s so much bullshit and it’s getting shittier.

    • Lippy@fedia.io
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      1 month ago

      I can vouch for that. For me it’s the scroll wheel.

      I’ve been through a Logitech G703 and a Corsair Sabre Pro and both failed the same way. I’ve also seen it happen to a Razer Deathadder Essential. The shitty mechanical encoder goes janky after a few months and basically makes scrolling unusable, as scrolling the mouse wheel either doesn’t get detected or is interpreted as going the opposite direction. Yeah they can be ‘fixed’ by either blasting air into it which sometimes works for a bit or worst case, soldering on a replacement encoder, but even that’s just a temporary fix as it’s only a matter of time before that fails too. I can’t deal with unreliability like that.

      Older mice more commonly used to use optical encoders which tend to last much longer but finding a new mouse with an optical encoder isn’t as easy. I finally broke down and got a Zowie the other day which should hold up a bit better in theory and only time will tell. I feel silly spending so much on a mouse, but I just want one that works.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It’s so much bullshit and it’s getting shittier.

      Unclear if you’re talking about technology, or life.

    • bookcrawler@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I miss when they had good hardware for a reasonable price. Some of my cheap original Logitech laser mice are still going, almost 2 decades later. Obviously not super heavy use as the switches have not worn out, but they’ve been shifted about the house as other mice break. So certainly not 0 use either.

      The tasks have been things like our old media centre mouse died, the old Logi mouse “temporarily” replaced it until we replaced the media centre. It’s not been unused any longer than a few months at a time.

      We tried buying some recently but the new ones are all optical so they had shit performance and died after maybe 3 months of light use.

    • Victor@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I don’t understand what you all are doing with your mice. I’ve had mine for years, and the one before it, years. I only changed because I wanted to upgrade, too.

      Meanwhile I’m always on Discord with my buddy complaining that his mouse broke, again. This mf fingers must weigh a fk ton bruh.

      • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I just like to middle-click things. I opened a Logitech mouse once and found out that the bridge that presses the button internally is way thinner than a toothpick and my frail little fingers are stronger than it for inexplicable reasons. :(

      • SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 month ago

        lots of people smack their mice on the table out of rage.

        Do that a lot, and they will not last very long

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I wish it were my unmanageable rage, but it’s usually a regular old click that does them in. Maybe I have superhuman strength in my index finger and haven’t noticed it.

      • apt_install_coffee@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        If it’s a G502/702, they’ve got a very fucky scroll wheel & middle click; it’s actually a lemon, but since nothing else works with the wireless pads they’re the only options.