Q: I'm a recent Windows convert, and I miss the functionality of
a two-button mouse. What two-button mice work with Macs and which do
you recommend?
First of all, congratulations on switching! That being said, the
lack of a two-button mouse is annoying for many people. Of course, the
control-click combinations work just as well as two buttons, but
they're certainly not as convenient.
The good news is that any two-button USB mouse will work without
drivers in OS X, and most two-button USB mice will work in
OS 9 with drivers.
The available mice on the market for Mac span a wide range - from
the $20 USB Logitech two button mouse 
with
scroll wheel that is attached to the family iMac to the $89 wireless StudioMouse Pro
from Kensington. For basic "I want a second button and a scroll wheel"
desires, the cheapest optical 2-button mouse is probably the easiest
and most cost-effective solution.
Generally speaking, most of the mice available today are optical,
meaning that instead of using a ball and roller system to track
movement they use a red LED and an optical sensor that tracks movement.
Optical mice have several advantages, the primary one being that you
never have to clean them. They also track more accurately and require
less effort to move, since they're lighter.
A few mice I recommend:
For OS 9 use, I recommend Kensington's mice.
Kensington's driver package, known as MouseWorks, is by far the
superior driver system under OS 9, allowing you to customize what
buttons do, change the tracking on a curve, and generally modify almost
every aspect of the mouse's performance. MouseWorks is not quite as
amazing under OS X, but it still does a very excellent job.
Favorite OS 9 mouse
For sheer cheapness, the Logitech
standard two-button
optical mouse with scroll wheel can't be beat. However, Logitech
doesn't include Mac drivers in the box, so you have to download them.
The driver is not nearly as refined as the MouseWorks software.
Slightly more expensive and capable is the $32 Kensington Optical Elite
with four buttons and scroll wheel. This mouse is very good for gaming,
with precise tracking and many buttons (I own the predecessor, the
Kensington Optical Pro).
Favorite mouse for Gamers (X)
Gamers will enjoy a mouse such as
Logitech's MX-700. The MX-700 is wireless, has dual optical sensors
for even better tracking, and has more buttons than a normal human
would ever need. It has rechargeable batteries and recharges in a
special dock that doubles as a wireless receiver.
Favorite mobile mouse (X)
Kensington's PocketMouse series is designed for mobile users and has
a smaller, easier-to-carry size than a normal mouse. The PocketMouse Pro has a
retractable cord (very handy), 
and the
PocketMouse Pro
Wireless has a wireless reciever. However, the PocketMouse Wireless
sometimes has tracking issues, especially when close to it's 3-foot
range limit. The wireless model requires 2 AAA batteries, which last a
couple months with normal use.
Hopefully, this handy guide to mousing with multiple buttons will
help you decide which mouse is right for you. In this article, I have
not cover a very wide range of mice by any means, so if you're in the
market for a mouse, I recommend going down to a local computer store
and trying some out. After all, the most important thing is how it
feels in your hand. 
Editor's note: Logitech and Kensington are two of the best brands of
mice I've ever worked with. For those still using ADB Macs, the
Kensington Mouse-In-A-Box (USB/ADB) merits consideration at $22.95;
it's the only optical mouse I know of for ADB.
A third company that impresses me is Contour Design. Their original
UniMouse
was the best USB mouse I could find in the early days of USB on Macs,
and it has since been supplanted by an optical version. I keep their
MiniPro mouse in
my TiBook's carrying case; it's a very nice compact two-button optical
mouse that even comes with a case of its own to prevent the cable from
getting tangled. dk
Korin Hasegawa-John is a student hailing from the netherworlds
of Vermont. He has used Macs from the SE and Macintosh II to iMacs and DP G4s. He
is most familiar with post-7.5 OS customization and setup,
PowerBooks, and PCI PowerMacs. He currently owns a Mac II, a Power Mac
9600, and a PowerBook 2400. You
can read more about his computing experience in Korin's Power Mac and PowerBook. He runs a
Mac troubleshooting business on the side and plays in a band.
