Selecting the Mouse

First, choose the correct mouse type for your system. Try to find an exact match. If an exact match cannot be found, choose a mouse type that you are sure is compatible with your system (see Figure 4-3) .

To determine your mouse's interface, follow the mouse cable back to where it plugs into your system. If the connector at the end of the mouse cable plugs into a rectangular connector, you have a serial mouse; if the connector is round, you have a PS/2 mouse. If you are installing Red Hat Linux on a laptop computer, in most cases the pointing device will be PS/2 compatible.

If you cannot find a mouse that you are sure is compatible with your system, select one of the Generic entries, based on your mouse's number of buttons, and its interface.

Figure 4-3. Selecting a Mouse

If you have a PS/2 or a Bus mouse, you do not need to pick a port and device. If you have a serial mouse, you should choose the correct port and device that your serial mouse is on.

The Emulate 3 Buttons check box allows you to use a two-button mouse as if it had three buttons. In general, it's easiest to use the X Window System if you have a three-button mouse. If you select this check box, you can emulate a third, "middle" button by pressing both mouse buttons simultaneously.

If you wish to change your mouse configuration after you have booted your Red Hat Linux system, you can use the /usr/sbin/mouseconfig command from the shell prompt.

If you wish to configure your mouse as a left-handed mouse, you can reset the order of the mouse buttons. This can be done after you have booted your Red Hat Linux system, by typing gpm -B 321 at the shell prompt.