For reference, I own a 6x9 wacom tablet. I use it routinely for photo manipulation and drawing/painting, but nothing else. For art, I see the wacom as an invaluable tool.
For cad work, programming, etc?
In my personal opinion, I'd prefer to use a 3-button (or better) mouse any day of the week over the wacom for non "drawing" operations. I use a Logitech diNovo with the cordless multi-button mouse - as well as a corded version of the mouse for backup when the battery inevitably faded and has to be cradled for a few hours.... Personally, I'd recommend investing in a good quality keyboard and mouse, but that's just me.
I've used tablets for CAD work, but I'm no fan, especially for tablets designed specifically to support drawing/painting, like the entire wacom series. (yes, they support cad too, but it's very secondary)
ymmv
For cad work, programming, etc?
In my personal opinion, I'd prefer to use a 3-button (or better) mouse any day of the week over the wacom for non "drawing" operations. I use a Logitech diNovo with the cordless multi-button mouse - as well as a corded version of the mouse for backup when the battery inevitably faded and has to be cradled for a few hours.... Personally, I'd recommend investing in a good quality keyboard and mouse, but that's just me.
I've used tablets for CAD work, but I'm no fan, especially for tablets designed specifically to support drawing/painting, like the entire wacom series. (yes, they support cad too, but it's very secondary)
ymmv