CompuServe Messages

I would say that without that metal shell, you may or may not have a good solid ground to the mouse. For RFI (FCC) reasons, a mouse cord is likely to require a shield; and that shield should be connected to the shell of the socket. That's usually what that metal shell on the cable connector is for – a solid RF ground. Static being pretty well unpredictable, my position is "the more ground, the better".