The Logi Options app is such a piece of crap. On macOS it also requires special permissions otherwise it won't even work.
If you only need to connect a device to the Bolt adapter you can use this web app by Logitech without having to install anything:
My friend used to work at Logitech. Everyone in the trenches knows the software they pump out is trash, but the higher ups are somehow convinced that it “sets them apart”. I assume they think it sets them apart in a good way, but it’s quite the opposite.
That’s sad to hear, I remember how good Logitech was back in the mid-2000s, the Logitech G15 keyboard had 18 programmable macro buttons and a media LED screen and media buttons that had a custom plugins SDK for stuff like Winamp, so I could listen to all my pirated music without having to alt+tab out of World of Warcraft. I used that thing until most of the letters had worn off the keycaps.
Around 2009 or so my Logitech wired laser mouse died after years of heavy use, and I emailed them about it, they sent me a brand new mouse, their newest top of the line model with no hassle at all. I’m not even sure it was still under warranty.
I dread the day my Logitech G13 stops working..
Keychron keyboards are absolutely amazing. And very affordable for what they are.
Feels like every mouse, keyboard, webcam whatever needs a separate different bloated app to configure and they even then don't have all of the settings. Hopefully I'm crazy but it also feels like they are even getting worse over time.
It's not just Logitech I have seen other vendors with app sprawl. Lenovo has duplicate or triplicate apps that do the same things or are wired into drivers and some are just a front end for tools they claim the new are replacements for. Wild stuff
On macOS it also requires special permissions otherwise it won't even work.
That doesn't sound unusual for something that interacts directly with hardware.
System wide permissions 24/7 even when you're not configuring the USB devices?
Also any app-specific bindings would I guess require some hooking (input interception / injection) at the software level.
Anyone not living under the rock for the last decades uses libusb. No need for special permissions at all, you can even use WebUSB in browsers these days.
All you need is competent firmware and driver engineers.
I used libusb for my laptop's keyboard LED driver and it absolutely does require root access. At least it works instantly and exits afterwards, unlike the manufacturer's shitty app.
The fact that Logitech ships hardware this good with software this bad is wild. It's like they have two completely separate companies. I switched to just using the onboard memory profiles on my mouse and never opening the app not ideal but at least nothing is eating 40% of my CPU in the background.
It's unfortunately the norm for hardware companies. My laptop's manufacturer shipped a "control center" app so bad it takes around a minute to display a window on screen. Words can't describe how aggravating it was to use. Reverse engineering that piece of crap is one of the best things I've ever done.
>It's like they have two completely separate companies.
The hardware and software teams are definitely separate, with likely very little overlap. It's the way most companies work. The team at Microsoft that gave us "clippy" was not the same team that worked on NT Kernal.
The Mac software for my Logitech mouse is called "Logitech G Hub" and it's also pretty awful. Every now and then my Mac starts going bonkers, random clicks all over the place or windows randomly switching focus. Quitting the Logitech G Hub app instantly solves it. (I'm not sure why it wants to run all the time anyway, it's only needed if I want to change some settings on the mouse)
The mouse itself (G305) is great, however!
Why do you have that running? I have two old g700s's, had another g703 (I think?) for a while. They have onboard memory, contrary to the "normal" non-gaming Logitech mice, so whatever configuration you set on them, they'll remember it without any software.
I ran my G402 on the onboard memory (bound the special buttons to F13-F15) until I was faced with enough games that didn't understand those keys. Later I had to switch to per-game profiles which sucked
I’ve been using SteerMouse as an alternative for years. It completely disappears and works 100% of the time.
I absolutely DO NOT want software that completely disappears. No thanks.
Let me be clear. What I meant is that it is just a System Settings pref pane (as I feel it should be). There's no icon just sitting in my system tray taking up space. There isn't any obnoxious launcher that launches on boot up.
It's exactly what (In my opinion) a mouse utility should be. There when you need it, invisible 99.9% of the time.
It should be ever-present. It should make itself known. It should be like an IT guy who’s competent, but eager. It should keep you informed of every update, just like he should keep informed of every new thing he learns.
It should at least have a system-jamming 15 second startup sequence at bootup to be taken seriously. That's why Logitech does it
It really is a terrible piece of software. I usually find that when I do weird things with my mouse, like assign workspaces switching to extra buttons or whatever, I end up un-doing it.
I've switched all my mice to a ~$25, super ergonomically shaped, corded mouse[1], and I prefer to to my logitech mice.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FPAVUHC?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...
It's probably the only program I despise, but need. I want to use small button under the wheel as middle click (I have short fingers), and until now, the only way to do it is/was to use logi options+. LO+ updater will get stuck on update every couple of months and while it's updating my button configuration doesn't work. Solution? kill process, uninstall, reinstall and hope it will not get stuck again any time soon.
I have to test Mauser.
While I am here, can anyone recommend good alternative mouse with both smooth/quick and precision scroll like logitech's? Back and forth buttons are also a must for me, horizontal scroll optional. Ideally a mouse would save configuration onto itself, so I don't have rely on garbage software like LO+.
Reassign the button - maybe possible with Karabiner
The scroll isn't anything special but you might find something that works for you (there's a large lineup), corsair make an ok mouse that can save multiple hardware profiles, and is programmable with input remapping and macros, etc.
I'm always afraid of the day Logitech takes this away. Somebody should try to make an open source deploy of this too.
Chrome or Edge only it says