FYI: How I re-enabled emulation of a scroll wheel and middle button for a Logitech Marble mouse

[Kingsley G. Morse Jr.]

I hope this saves time.

I like to use Debian Linux's "unstable"
distribution.

Upgrading X broke my mouse.

It's a Logitech Marble.

It stopped:

    a.) Pasting the X selection when I pressed
    both of it's big buttons simultaneously.

        (No pasting is a big inconvenience.)

    b.) Emulating a scroll wheel.


Here's how I worked around the problem:

1.) I created a directory for X configuration files

        $ mkdir /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d

2.) I used the configuration at

        
http://www.thecodehouse.com/2011/02/27/my-logitech-marble-mouse-ubuntu-10-10/

    for a file named

        /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-marblemouse.conf

3.) The following command revealed what my
computer thought my mouse was named

        $ (cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log; lshal;  udevadm info --export-db) | egrep 
-i mouse | less

    It was

        "ImExPS/2 Logitech Explorer Mouse"

4.) In /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-marblemouse.conf, I
changed the value assigned to "MatchProduct" from

        "Logitech USB Trackball"

    to

        "ImExPS/2 Logitech Explorer Mouse"

5.) I restarted X by simultaneously pressing
ctl-alt-backspace.

6.) I tested an emulated middle button by double
clicking on some text, and pasting it by quickly
holding and releasing the Logitech Marble's small
left hand button.

7.) I tested an emulated scroll wheel by running
an web browser, visit a long and wide web page, or
resizing its window to be short and narrow, and
try to scroll by holding the mouse's small left
hand button down while rolling the marble 

    a.) up and down, and then 
    
    b.) left and right.

Thanks,
Kingsley