remedy for a no scroll wheel trackball?

If you're on Windows I'd suggest trying out AutoHotKey, other users have already tackled scrolling with the Marble Mouse (I used the script a the bottom):

http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/4677-wheel-button-emulation-script/

Logitech's solution that comes with their drivers is strange: you click once to enable 4 way scrolling and click again to disable it. You can't hold and scroll which is what I was after. I wound up uninstalling their software.

There is a simple 100 line C++ alternative which is quite similar to the AutoHotKey solutions, that is

• sending vertical/horizontal scroll wheel events by moving the trackball while holding one of the X-Buttons and
• middle click when pressing and releasing an X-Button without moving the trackball.

https://github.com/Seelge/TrackballScroll

Edit: Newer versions provide a systray-icon, work on Windows 10 and are based on C#.

I have the same trackball and the solution is very elegant: when you click on a chosen button, the ball itself become a scrolling wheel. I've chosen the big right button that I press with the little finger.

This is very convenient and it takes only a few day to get used.

You will quickly consider that any scrollwheel (on a mouse or a trackball) is something unusable. Trust me, it worth it ;-)

Advantages:

• 2D scrolling instead of 1D
• quicker and more precise scrolling than a wheel
• more comfortable for long scroll (thanks to the ball's inertia). Perfect for your facebook example.

I cannot live without it anymore.

Configuring that under any Linux OS is not hard. It only requires you to create a /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (see my config here: Configure a trackball under Linux without editing Xorg.conf )

More details can be found here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Logitech_Marblemouse_USB

On Windows, I've no experience but I think a configuration tool is delivered with the trackball.

You could try the Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel, developed especially for that mouse :

Marble Mouse Scroll Wheel, or just Marble Scroll, is a small program designed to simulate a scroll wheel on any trackball or mouse without one. It was specifically designed for the Logitech Marble Mouse but can work with any standard mouse or trackball. It is designed for Windows 2000 and up.

Marble Scroll is a replacement for Logitech's Autoscroll and Universal Scroll functions; neither properly emulate a real scroll wheel and both have limitations and flaws.

Marble Scroll works with any mouse or trackball and does not require Logitech's SetPoint or MouseWare drivers to be installed.

Features

• Add a scroll wheel to any mouse with more than two buttons
• Compatiblity with most applications that support a scroll wheel (for any type of input)
• Adjustable acceleration
• Adjustable scrolling distance (per "step" - see below)
• Stepped scrolling to simulate a real mouse wheel
• Quick left/right handed mode switcher
• Quick enable/disable by clicking on the tray icon
• Small and light on system resources

The product's website seems currently down, but here is a copy of the site's text on Archive.org.

A download link is here.

Here's the AutoHotKey script that I use. You scroll by holding down the left small button and rolling the ball up/down. However clicking the left small button still does BACK. It can also scroll left/right but that was too sensitive for me so it's commented out here (the block that starts with ;timesX := Abs(movedx) / 4).

I found the original version at http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/30816-simulate-scroll-wheel-using-right-mouse-button/. I posted my version there as anotherperson8923.

$*XButton1::
Hotkey, $*XButton1 Up, XButton1up, off
;KeyWait, XButton1, T0.4
;If ErrorLevel = 1
;{
   Hotkey, $*XButton1 Up, XButton1up, on
   MouseGetPos, ox, oy
   SetTimer, WatchTheMouse, 5
   movedx := 0
   movedy := 0
   pixelsMoved := 0
;   TrayTip, Scrolling started, Emulating scroll wheel
;}
;Else
;   Send {XButton1}
return

XButton1up:
Hotkey, $*XButton1 Up, XButton1up, off
SetTimer, WatchTheMouse, off
;TrayTip
If (pixelsMoved = 0)
{
    ;The mouse was not moved, send the click event
    ; (May want to make it PGUP or something)
    Send {XButton1}
    Send {XButton1Up}
}
return

WatchTheMouse:
MouseGetPos, nx, ny
movedx := movedx+nx-ox
movedy := movedy+ny-oy

pixelsMoved := pixelsMoved + Abs(nx-ox) + Abs(ny-oy)

;timesX := Abs(movedx) / 4
;ControlGetFocus, control, A
;Loop, %timesX%
;{
;    If (movedx > 0)
;    {
;        SendMessage, 0x114, 1, 0, %control%, A ; 0x114 is WM_HSCROLL
;        movedx := movedx - 4
;    }
;    Else
;    {
;        SendMessage, 0x114, 0, 0, %control%, A ; 0x114 is WM_HSCROLL
;        movedx := movedx + 4
;    }
;}

timesY := Abs(movedy) / 4
Loop, %timesY%
{
    If (movedy > 0)
    {
        Click WheelDown
        movedy := movedy - 4
    }
    Else
    {
        Click WheelUp
        movedy := movedy + 4
    }
}   

MouseMove ox, oy
return