The invention of computer mouse

The invention of computer mouse

Today, the mouse is an essential input device for all modern computers but it wasn't so long ago that computers had no mouse and no graphical user interface. Data was entered by typing commands on a keyboard.

The mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute in 1963 after extensive usability testing. It was also called the " bug", but eventually " bug" was dropped in favour of " mouse. "

It was a simple mouse, basically a wooden shell with 2 wheels. The 2 wheels would translate to X, Y coordinates on the computer screen, and produced movement in only those coordinates. In other words, you could move left and right, or up and down, but not diagonally. It was nicknamed a " mouse" because the cord connecting it gave it the appearance of having a tail.

Technology visionary Douglas Engelbart changed the way computers worked, turning them from specialized machinery that only a trained scientist could use to a user-friendly tool that almost anyone can work with. He invented or contributed to several interactive, user-friendly devices such as the computer mouse, windows, computer video teleconferencing, hypermedia, groupware, email, the Internet and more.

Engelbart’s collaborator on the mouse project, Bill English, built a prototype—a hand-held device carved out of wood, with a button on the top. In 1967, Engelbart’s company SRI filed for the patent on the mouse, although the paperwork identified it as " x, y position indicator for a display system. " The patent was awarded in 1970.

Like so much in computer technology, the mouse has evolved significantly. In 1972 English developed the “track ball mouse” that allowed users to control the cursor by rotating a ball from a fixed position. One interesting enhancement is that many devices are now wireless, a fact that makes this Engelbart’s early prototype almost quaint: “We turned it around so the tail came out the top. We started with it going the other direction, but the cord got tangled when you moved your arm.

The inventor, who grew up on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, hoped his achievements would add to the collective intelligence of the world. " It would be wonderful, ” he once said, “if I can inspire others, who are struggling to realize their dreams, to say 'if this country kid could do it, let me keep slogging away'. "

It would be another 8 years before the mouse would be developed any further. An optical mouse was developed in around 1980.

A laser mouse has many advantages over a rollerball mouse. A laser mouse can be used on almost any surface. There are no moving parts on the movement detection side, so nothing to mechanically break. They are more sensitive than a rollerball mouse so are better for precise operations such as fine graphics work.

Finally, laser computer mice are much faster, allowing faster movement of the onscreen pointer, which is very useful for computer gamers.

Computer mice today come in many different forms. Rollerball mice are getting harder and harder to find, while laser mice are becoming the norm. But there are different forms of " mice" on the market today.

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