ssddx :
"There is no good reason to switch to a trackball, unless you have carpal tunnel issues. I've heard people who like them, but moving a mouse is more precise. Unless you have a reason to use one, I wouldn't. Button clicking is also going to be a bit harder, since your hand and fingers have to move across the ball, taking them out of position."
sorry to say, this is only opinion not fact.
-trackballs are suggested for people with carpal tunnel but can also be used as a preventative measure instead. also some people just prefer them over mice since they are more comfortable with the interface. chalk it up to personal preferences not just phyiscal problems.
-trackballs are just as accurate as mice, you might just need different mouse speed settings to compensate and practice. a trackball also does not have mouse drag caused by worn teflon feet. in fact, a trackball could potentially be more accurate in some cases. since the larger ball allows you to precicely control the cursor or objects on screen.
-depending on the model of trackball you can control the ball with a few fingers and still have others free to click the buttons. to argue against this is just to admit that the user does not know how to properly use a trackball.
while i personally detest trackballs for my own use i do know of quite a few people in the professional field who swear by them. they are just as productive as other users with mice. the same can be said about ergonomic keyboards vs normal keyboards. there is no best solution, only a solution that is best for each and every individual person which they need to figure out.
EDIT: I just realized he didn't specify his use for the mouse or trackball. For general use, moving and selecting items in the most efficient way possible isn't really needed. In which case, comfort value may be a bigger value. The trackball difference is not using your arm at all, which can also be its disadvantage for gaming, but may be a comfort advantage. If you aren't looking at gaming, you can ignore what I have written below.
I realize a lot of these things are personal preference, however, there is a bit of science involved as well.
Perhaps calling it more accurate and precise isn't a good enough description. Trackballs require you to spin a ball then stop it when you reach your location. A mouse allows you to move your hand from point A to point B. If you set a trackball to be fine tuned for small motions, so you can have pinpoint accuracy, you then have a very difficult time spinning the ball a long distance and be accurate. If you set it up so you can move fast, your fine tune accuracy suffers. Using a mouse is as simple as moving your hand to a specific point, rather than spinning a ball and trying to stop it at the right point.
The other point is also quite valid. When you move the ball, your hand moves, while your buttons don't. That means that you lose a bit of timing on hitting your buttons. With a mouse, you move it with your arm, while your fingers stay exactly at the same point the whole time. With a track ball, this is not the case.
Sure, you can learn to be good with a trackball, but the actions involved are just not as convenient. If his reasons were not about considering what was best for gaming, then I would be down with it, but I would not switch to a trackball expecting to improve your skills in gaming.
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