We work with the mouse every day without even giving a
through to where it came from, when in reality it has come to define much of
the way which we use a computer.
Defined simply as a ‘pointing’ device, it was
Douglas Engalbart who created the first mouse prototype in 1963. However, the
actual ball-mouse that we’re all familiar with was only created later in 1972
by Bill English. Essentially created so that people could easily navigate
through software without remembering keyword shortcuts, the humble mouse too
had its share of detractors with computer columnist, John Dvorak writing in
1984, “There is no evidence that people want to use these things.”
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| Mouse |
The mouse became a computer revolution in 1984 when Apple
Macintosh hit the market and there was widespread adoption of the new computer.
This is because the Macintosh was the first popular computer to use a graphics
user interface instead of a command prompt interface and hence required a mouse
to function. The Benefits of the GUI because obvious after this and the mouse
because a symbol of computing in the early 90s.
While today, the mouse generally has two buttons with a
scroll option, there are all sorts of innovative spins on this popular device
such as the mouse by Sony in Japan which doubles as a phone for Skype or mice
that are in the shape of retro video-game characters or those that have also
have a built-in clock. However, with the rate that touch-screen technology is
taking over the world, it will be interesting to see how long the era of the
mouse prevails.
