Many of you might have found the easiest way to use that computer mouse in the most efficient way possible, but have you ever thought of it's history? How it originated? It's development?
So clear up your doubts that have gathered for many years, we are going to talk about the history of computer mouse today.
Introduction
Typically, a computer mouse is a pointing device used to detect directional motion on two axes i.e. X and Y and use its input to be displayed as pointer on the screen that makes the graphical user interface of a program very easy to use.
The very first demonstration of an operating system linked with a mouse controlling system was done in 1968. Initially, computer mice had a rolling ball below the bottom surface which detected the motion of the directional axes. But in modern times, mice either have optical sensors or infrared systems.
In the past most of the mice were connected via a cable that used special connections to send the mouse axes data to the operating system. But now most of the mice either come with USB support or most probably a wireless short range radio frequency connection system.
The obvious nomenclature
As everyone wonders and probably knows, a mouse is a small device with a hunched back and a tail(most likely in the past) is called a computer mouse.
And the important fact is that there is no specific objective on which it is called a mouse, it just resembles a rodent and is called a mouse. But, there is a difference. In general English, plural of mouse is Mice. But, a computer mouse's plural is mouses or mice.
History
The first-ever prototype of a mouse was invented as a trackball by Ralph Benjamin in 1946 as a part of the fire-control radar plotting system called as Comprehensive Display System or CDS. Benjamin was working for the British Royal Navy at that time.
In this project he used various analog computers to predict the future position of the target aircraft by using the inputs provided by a user.
The need for the mouse was still not gaining satisfaction, so he thought of a more elegant input device which was called a "roller ball."
Another tracker ball was built by Kenyon Taylor who was a British mechanical engineer. He was a part of the DATAR(Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving) system in 1952.
This trackball consisted of four disks, 2 each for X and Y axes. When the device was moved, with the help of several roller balls, the disks spun and their outer contacts touched a wire frequently, which was used as a sensor for the directional movement.
It then sent the signals to other ships with a technology known as pulse-code modulation radio control systems.
The creator of the computer is specifically known as Douglas Engelbart. The reason behind this post was because of the famous works he had done to replicate human intelligence through machines.
The most accepted prototype of his human intelligence replication project was the development of the mouse.
In 1964, Bill English joined ARC(Augmented Research Center) which was established by Engelbart. They prototyped and designed a mouse with a tail like structure at its rear end and resembled a mouse.
Engelbart demonstrated the mouse publicly on 9 December, 1968 calling it as the Mother of all demos. The major development of the mouse started from here and it became a race for technology companies to develop and use their own flavor of the mouse which grabs attention of the general public and organizations.
In 1968, a device called Rollkugel("Rolling Ball") was introduced as an optical device for SIG-100 terminal computer and this mouse was developed by a German company Telefunken. This device contained no disks and it only contained a single ball to be used as a pointing device.
The first modern computer to be used with a mouse was the Xerox Alto made for individual use. It was introduced to the general public in 1973.
Inspired by PARC's Alto, the Lilith, which was a computer intended for personal use and was developed by the team of Niklaus Wirth between 1978 and 1980 was developed and had an integrated mouse which was intended to be used for personal uses.
The most popular marketed version of a mouse was shipped as a part of a computer and also for the software navigation and was called as Xerox 8010 Star in 1981.
Jack Hawley was the person behind the mouse development concept of Xerox and he was also the lead developer of the mouse team. At that time the Hawley mouse cost around $420.
In 1982, Microsoft also introduced a mouse which made the MS-DOS Microsoft Word software compatible with the mouse. It was the first time when a mouse was shipped with a PC(Personal Computer) at that time.
The world level popularity gaining of the mouse began when Apple introduced the updated version of the Amiga Mouse, which was a single button mouse, in the Macintosh 128K.
Since then, we are adopting the same design and concepts of the computer mouse.
Conclusion
The mouse had been an important part in the life of the computer and also our own lives. In-spite of its initial nature of resemblance as a rodent, we still haven't changed the design much, because of the ergonomic design that it has.
Yes, one thing can be said that the structure and the technology of the mouse has been improved largely and also giving emphasis on the accuracy for different applications. But still, the mouse is an important part for normal users.
The mouse might be a good thing for normal PC users, but it creates a large communication gap with the original system, which was fulfilled with the command line interface which is still used largely in Linux.
The invention of the mouse has impacted the whole world, from defence organizations to normal people, mouse has always been the subject of the chaos. Everyday a new technology is shared with the world which is the essence of technology from its beginning and will continue to be.
Written By - Shakti Swaroop Arha
.jpeg)
0 Comments