Is a keyboard a keyboard?

First off this is an issue that I got punched in the face with a few days ago. I have since gotten over it (I think), so I feel comfortable talking about it. The subject is horrible, frustrating, and it strikes fear in the heart of most IT people. This is WIRELESS KEYBOARDS AND MICE. In case some of you have them and swear by them, just hear me out. First off, they drain batteries. This is just one more item to troubleshoot when someone is having trouble. If you have used these devices in an office environment with many people around using the exact same wireless keyboard and mouse. This brings me to the second problem. Say for instance one mouse goes bad, their wireless connection device is still working fine, and someone at a desk a few feet away has the exact same mouse. Any guess what happens next? Yup, the person who has the working mouse is now able to control the pointer on the other person's computer which leads to massive confusion. My main gripe is this: I feel that when a keyboard/mouse poops out, that's it and you get another one. With these wireless devices, you generally have to buy a whole new setup in order to keep the all of the devices working.

The main complaint that I have heard towards wired devices is, "The cord is too short". Well I have a novel idea. Let's pay $15 for a 6' USB extension cable. With this simple item you not have to deal with these pitfalls that I have mentioned above.

NOTE: This entry was basically a rant about something that happened this last week. Give me a post back if you feel my pain. PEACE!!!!!!!!