Since there are no moving parts, there's less to wear out. Logitech warns you that the mouse may not work on red surfaces-the scanning light is red. I use- a pleasant surprise. From the package and help information, I expected no function, and got perfect function even on the red pad. No batteries are needed- the mouse draws power from the CPU for the tiny light source.
Software is packaged on CD-rom and installs easily.
Should you lose your CD, software can always be downloaded from the Logitech Website,and online product registration is also simple. Device set-up is also straight forward and simple. Wheel Mouse Optical works on Windows 95 and beyond,and also on Mac 8.6 or later. Being a real Mac fan, this is truly nice. Mice for Mac's tend to be rather expensive and don't seem to last long.