I am fond, somewhat, of a multiple button mouse, but the buttons where they are would alter how I hold my moule now. Why can't someone create a mouse where the alternate button was on the side or samething. I'm not talking about the 87 button M$ mouse, 2 buttons, and the scroll wheel (if it weren't right where I want to click) seems reasonable too.
Or maybe a mac mouse where the alternate buttons is the control key, so you still cntrl-click, holding the modifier button then clicking. Why isn't anyone even trying this?
I hate M$'s software, I don't think they innovate there at all, but they do some stuff on the hardware line, they buy out small innovative ideas / companies and then sell them to more people than would have happened naturally. Although destructive to the small businesses, it seems almost beneficial in a way. Apple does some stuff, but it's different. I can resspect both of them.
Kensington does some neat stuff, and logitech does a thing or two, but neither of them has given me a multi-button mouse that isn't just a microsofty thing. I want a truly alternate so that the 98% of the time when I want to slap the big button I can do so on a button that's (98/2) times as accessible as the "ALTERNATE" button. Any application that uses the alternate button nearly as much as the main button needs to be fundamentally reworked.
If the two little thingies on the side of the Apple mouse that aren't buttons could be squeezed inward to "push the control button" I think the hybrid would be pretty sweet. And upward infra-red (so it doesn't blind anyone) optical tracking of my finger should I want to "scroll" would be pretty sweet too. Solid state happiness. Optionally assignable to horizontal window movement as well. Yay.
I'm 6'3" and lanky, and nothing ergonomically designed for any specific body type EVER fits me. I've hated every console game controller for years. The M$ mouse feel like crap in my hand. The Apple mouse doesn't assume a specific body size. It makes me happy. I'm glad my fingers aren't fat or I'd probably hate every keyboard in existence as well.
So that's my rant. Summed up (kinda) the multi button mouse was the original, so don't think that it's an innovation. Apple's one button mouse was a hardware simplification around a radically intuitive user interface innovation. It's reasonable to use multiple buttons again, now that we have come up with a relatively standard use for the other buttons. At the same time, the alternate button should feel alternate. Not like f4 feels like an alternate to another key, but like double clicking is obviously not single clicking. Squeeze clicking would feel different to the body, thus getting associated differently to the UI feel. Unlike the "buttons of equal size" that drive me up a wall.