Author Topic: Am I the only one who hates smooth scrolling? (Read 33,832 times)

superboyac · « **on:** July 16, 2007, 03:30 PM »

I hate it in all applications. Nuff said.

tonsofpcs · « **Reply #1 on:** July 16, 2007, 03:32 PM »

No. Although, I do see some usefulness to it [when I'm putting something done on a computer on-air for TV, it looks pretty, it also creates a nice impromptu teleprompter].

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** July 16, 2007, 03:41 PM »

in a graphics program it's nice, but for text i agree, i prefer stepped scrolling.. i wonder if they've done usability studies on this to see which one is easier to read for text.

tranglos · « **Reply #3 on:** July 16, 2007, 04:45 PM »

Quote from: superboyac on July 16, 2007, 03:30 PM

I hate it in all applications. Nuff said.

Same here, it's one of the first things I disable. Smooth scrolling makes me feel I have less control over navigation; it never scrolls the distance I want or at the speed I want. All animation effects go out right along with it.

It is not the first thing I disable in a new install though - that would probably be hiding file extensions in Explorer - but also, that's a whole new thread!

Crush · « **Reply #4 on:** July 16, 2007, 05:14 PM »

I prefer full-page-scrolling (also the pgup/pgdn-keys).

superboyac · « **Reply #5 on:** July 16, 2007, 05:48 PM »

Quote from: tranglos on July 16, 2007, 04:45 PM

Same here, it's one of the first things I disable. Smooth scrolling makes me feel I have less control over navigation; it never scrolls the distance I want or at the speed I want. All animation effects go out right along with it.

It is not the first thing I disable in a new install though - that would probably be hiding file extensions in Explorer - but also, that's a whole new thread!

I'm with you there on the file extensions. But, yeah, smooth scrolling is so frustrating. Sure, it makes it look nice, but good luck ever hitting the spot you are aiming at.

I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel, but I have a feeling that it's a better alternative to smooth scrolling because it's mechanical, not virtual. I heard if you flick the button wheel really fast, it will disengage the stepping mechanism and spin like a bicycle wheel, so you can accelerate the scrolling. But if you do it slowly, it will be the normal step scroll. That sounds cool.

CWuestefeld · « **Reply #6 on:** July 16, 2007, 05:49 PM »

Agreed. In windows I always turn off smooth scrolling, as well as menu animations and the related stuff.

All of those pretty things just get in the way of getting the job done. I don't want to wait for my menu to drop down as if it were subject to gravity. I want it to just be there, so I can click the option I want!

Also, I (generally) hate skinning. It would be much better if developers would invest that effort in a functional UI with interactions that make sense.

Armando · « **Reply #7 on:** July 16, 2007, 09:16 PM »

Are you guys all using a mouse?
I'm a more the touchpad type...

Except for graphics.
Scrolling with the touchpad has usually been a pleasure...

Lashiec · « **Reply #8 on:** July 16, 2007, 10:20 PM »

Em, as always, I'll go against the current. During quite some time I was using normal scrolling because I thought that the smooth kind was a bit awkward in Firefox. When I switched to Opera, though, I began to use the smooth scrolling again, and I re-enabled it in Firefox. I don't know what was going in my head at the time, but now I think that smooth scrolling is better than the fixed one. The only difference is the graphical effect, but I think the flow control is the same, and the text is easy to read in both types. I mean, who reads text while the screen is scrolling?

I should mention that I switch back and forth between the mouse wheel, Up/Down keys and Pg Up/Pg Down keys depending on my mood

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** July 16, 2007, 10:27 PM »

... would someone please explain what the heck this smooth scrolling is? I really don't know!

I navigate by clicking the wheel and move the mouse a little (hmm..: what program gave me this feature?). I would like to show you a nice little screenshot but FastStone won't capture all of it, so here is half of it:

[attachimg=#]

alxwz · « **Reply #10 on:** July 17, 2007, 01:03 AM »

Sorry, I cannot explain smooth scrolling better than that: When you put a page in motion, it won't stop right after you stop scrolling, but keep scrolling for a while (like due to inertia). I can't find better English words for that.

Completely, totally brain-dead idea. Sucks big time. In every app.

Curt, I think what you describe is called auto-scrolling. I don't like it either, but other than with smooth scrolling, I can see some usefulness in it.

Curt · « **Reply #11 on:** July 17, 2007, 01:28 AM »

Very well explained

- I tried it but didn't like it.

If auto-scroll is what I explained, then auto-scroll by far is the best navigation metode for your hand (I suffer from carpal tunnel - in Danish called Mouse-arm)!

lanux128 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 17, 2007, 01:45 AM »

though not the first but among the firsts to be disabled, it's even worse on Firefox..

btw Curt, another reference for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_scrolling

alxwz · « **Reply #13 on:** July 17, 2007, 01:56 AM »

lanux128, thanks, the link you gave made me realize for the first time what the real idea behind smooth scrolling seems to be. Funny thing is that I never noticed this effect, I only ever noticed the inability-to-stop-when-and-where-I-want-it effect (which is probably only a side effect, but a strong one).
Still don't like it, though.

Hirudin · « **Reply #14 on:** July 17, 2007, 02:23 AM »

Quote

I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel

I had that mouse (the MX-Revolution) for about a month. Then I got a little pissed that the frigging Logitech drivers kept losing my custom button assignments and dropped it from a little too high, it broke.

The hardware is awesome! A HUGE improvement. But the software sucks. I've found with Logitech, you better be happy with what you get in the box because there'll only be like, 3 updates, ever.

Back OT:
I've never been a fan of smooth scrolling either. But I've also barely given it a chance. To me, it's all about the speed. When I scroll, I want the screen to change, instantly.
Lashiec, I'll give it another chance...
-Initial thought: it's a little nicer looking, but a little slower.

AndyM · « **Reply #15 on:** July 17, 2007, 03:03 AM »

Quote from: Curt on July 16, 2007, 10:27 PM

... would someone please explain what the heck this smooth scrolling is? I really don't know!

I navigate by clicking the wheel and move the mouse a little (hmm..: what program gave me this feature?). I would like to show you a nice little screenshot but FastStone won't capture all of it, so here is half of it:

That's how my Logitech mouse works (same symbol also) - I can either hold down the scroll wheel and move the mouse a little, or click&release the scroll wheel and then move the mouse a little.

But Button 2 in Mouse Properties has to be set to "AutoScroll" for this feature to work on my mouse. It's a handy feature.

justice · « **Reply #16 on:** July 17, 2007, 08:01 AM »

I've always liked smooth scrolling because it gives me a better idea where the text i was reading went. Turning off smooth scrolling (especially when using the cursor keys instead of the mouse) and it appears the texts teleports up or downwards, which can be confusing. However after having turned off smooth scrolling it does seem to make more sense when using the mouse scrollwheel.

steeladept · « **Reply #17 on:** July 17, 2007, 12:36 PM »

Quote from: Hirudin on July 17, 2007, 02:23 AM

Quote
I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel
I had that mouse (the MX-Revolution) for about a month. Then I got a little pissed that the frigging Logitech drivers kept losing my custom button assignments and dropped it from a little too high, it broke.

The hardware is awesome! A HUGE improvement. But the software sucks. I've found with Logitech, you better be happy with what you get in the box because there'll only be like, 3 updates, ever.

I have that mouse too, and I learned a long time ago to NEVER load their software. The mouse works great - It is awesome, in fact. Just don't use the software! Some people complain that without it you can't program the extra buttons, but honestly, Do you really need to? The defaults seem pretty intuitive and if it allows you to forgo the crappy software, isn't it worth it?

Of course I guess that is pretty much the same thing you are saying.

Hirudin · « **Reply #18 on:** July 17, 2007, 12:42 PM »

Do you get to use the free-spinning scroll wheel without the software?

steeladept · « **Reply #19 on:** July 17, 2007, 12:55 PM »

Yep. And it is FAST!!!!

f0dder · « **Reply #20 on:** July 17, 2007, 01:45 PM »

I hate smooth scrolling in browsers, it's one of the first thing I turn off on a new install (well, it happens automatically with my unattended setup CD). It's awful. Ugly. Ugh.

I use mousewheel most of the time, sometimes the "middle button click" thing like curt, and other times pgup/pgdn keys... depends on where my hands are and what I'm reading etc.

superboyac · « **Reply #21 on:** July 17, 2007, 03:16 PM »

Quote from: steeladept on July 17, 2007, 12:36 PM

Quote from: Hirudin on July 17, 2007, 02:23 AM
Quote
I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel
I had that mouse (the MX-Revolution) for about a month. Then I got a little pissed that the frigging Logitech drivers kept losing my custom button assignments and dropped it from a little too high, it broke.

The hardware is awesome! A HUGE improvement. But the software sucks. I've found with Logitech, you better be happy with what you get in the box because there'll only be like, 3 updates, ever.

I have that mouse too, and I learned a long time ago to NEVER load their software. The mouse works great - It is awesome, in fact. Just don't use the software! Some people complain that without it you can't program the extra buttons, but honestly, Do you really need to? The defaults seem pretty intuitive and if it allows you to forgo the crappy software, isn't it worth it?

Of course I guess that is pretty much the same thing you are saying.

Man, I gotta get that mouse sometime. Aren't there any third party applications that allow you to assign mouse buttons? Or does it have to be done by the manufacturer's drivers?
I'm using a combo Logitech mouse+keyboard, and I remember getting annoyed by the software in the beginning. I think what pissed me off was that everything reacted so slowly. So I removed the drivers, and now I just use it plain. I can't assign all the little buttons on the keyboard, but I'm not annoyed anymore. That really is bad of logitech to do that since they are the #1 mouse+keyboard people.

app103 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 17, 2007, 03:34 PM »

Quote from: alxwz on July 17, 2007, 01:03 AM

Sorry, I cannot explain smooth scrolling better than that: When you put a page in motion, it won't stop right after you stop scrolling, but keep scrolling for a while (like due to inertia). I can't find better English words for that.

Completely, totally brain-dead idea. Sucks big time. In every app.

Is that what that is? And here I thought all along that it was just my slow WinME pc that couldn't keep up with how fast I was scrolling. Now I know what to look for and turn off. Thanks.

(not that it matters any more since the mouse on that pc lost the ability to scroll)

You know what took a long time to get used to, and I am still not 100% used to it yet?

You know how a normal mouse, the wheel clicks...so you can actually count the 'notches' that you scroll? I have a mouse without that...smooth wheel...no clicks. I can't ctrl+scroll any more.

steeladept · « **Reply #23 on:** July 17, 2007, 05:02 PM »

Quote

Man, I gotta get that mouse sometime. Aren't there any third party applications that allow you to assign mouse buttons? Or does it have to be done by the manufacturer's drivers?
I'm using a combo Logitech mouse+keyboard, and I remember getting annoyed by the software in the beginning. I think what pissed me off was that everything reacted so slowly. So I removed the drivers, and now I just use it plain. I can't assign all the little buttons on the keyboard, but I'm not annoyed anymore. That really is bad of logitech to do that since they are the #1 mouse+keyboard people.

I haven't found any software for it, but I haven't looked real hard either. I just use it plain as you stated.

Curt · « **Reply #24 on:** July 17, 2007, 06:27 PM »

Quote from: app103 on July 17, 2007, 03:34 PM

... I have a mouse without that...smooth wheel...no clicks. I can't ctrl+scroll any more.

What could you do with Ctrl+Scroll ?? - because I can do nothing! What feature has been / should be / are connected to Ctrl+Scroll?