Computer mouse – National Library. N
Part of artificial intelligence
Inventor computer mouse became Douglas Carl Engelbart (born January 30, 1925) - researcher at the Stanford Institute. This happened in 1964, although, by his own admission, he had been thinking about such a device since the early 50s. The mouse, being a companion product of the oN-Line System (NLS) operating system, turned out to be one of the components of a grandiose project. It was about the development of artificial human intelligence.
Mouse Inspiration
According to Douglas, he was led to the creation of the mouse by analyzing all other devices intended for input. When compiling a grid of already known developments, the desired characteristics of the device, which at that time did not yet exist, were determined. It happened the same way as with Periodic Table Elements. A system defined by groups of rows and columns itself leads to the discovery of previously unknown elements.
Without her it’s like having no hands!
A whole laboratory was working on creating a manipulator. Engelbart was the inventor of the mouse, and Bill English, based on his sketches, brought this idea to life. The first mouse had a wire in the front, but to get it out of the way, I had to throw it back. The device resembled a mouse with a tail, and all employees began to call it that.
This name has become firmly established in computer slang. Phrase: “It’s done in two mouse clicks!” today is clear to everyone. If the mouse is working properly, we don't even notice its presence. But if problems happen to it, we are left without hands, or rather, without a mouse!
The tool is not for users
The very first computer mouse was a mahogany box(!) self made. A button and two perpendicular wheels are such a simple device. When moving the mouse, the wheels rolled along the plane, which made it possible to determine the magnitude and direction of the change in position. At the same time, the data was reflected by moving the cursor on the screen.
However, the mouse, having become a recognized peripheral device, still remains only a tool for developers of new technologies. It is not at all intended for ordinary users! But progress does not stand still: step by step the mouse is being improved and its design is changing. By 1981, the first computer mouse appeared, used for PC navigation. The laurels of its creators remained with the Xerox 8010 Star Information System.
Inventor's Award
For more than 40 years, millions of copies of various computer mice. However, D.K. Engelbart did not become a millionaire. Being an extremely modest person, he simply went into the shadows. The invention was patented by the Stanford Institute, but at that time no one really understood its true value. In 1968, it became known that the license was transferred to Apple for only $40,000.
Engelbart himself received only a check for $10 thousand for his invention. He paid the fee as the first payment for a small country house... Later, the inventor was awarded one of the highest US awards for scientists - The National Medal of Technology. The event became a recognition of all his inventions in the IT field, including the computer mouse. This happened on December 1, 2000. And on December 9, 2008, the fortieth anniversary of the first demonstration of the invention was celebrated.
Computer mouse: basic information
Such a computer component as a mouse is known to everyone these days. None desktop computer It is impossible to work normally without using a mouse. It feels like she just was and that’s it. But this feeling is wrong, since any objects and things are invented by someone.
Who is the inventor of the computer mouse?
There are various rumors about the invention of the mouse. According to one information, it was created in the Xerox laboratory, other legends say that the order Apple Corporation was the culprit of the “mouse’s” birthday.
Neither one nor the other is fundamentally wrong. The inventor of the computer mouse is Douglas Engelbart. His innovation was demonstrated among others at an IT conference in San Francisco. This happened in the winter of 1968.
In the mentioned year, a ready-made accessory was released. In what year was the computer mouse invented? 
Douglas had his first thoughts about creating such a device back in 1951. The idea itself and its technical implementation occurred in 1963 and 1964.
At that time, Engelbart was working on his oN-Line System (NLS) operating system. Working on it software led to the concept of the “window” interface. Making the mouse was a side hustle. This accessory was positioned as one of the possible manipulators for working with windows. The idea of the mouse appeared a year before its invention, and in 1964 the first working prototype of this device was released. 
Why did the mouse become a mouse? Nobody knows this, and even Engelbart himself admits that he does not have an answer to this question. According to him, this name for the accessory immediately took root, and subsequently never changed.
What did the first such device look like? Imagine a wooden box small size. Inside it there are two wheels located perpendicular to each other, as well as a button located on the outside of the mouse. Moving the mouse on the table causes the wheels to roll. Doing this simple action it was possible to find out the direction of movement of the device, as well as the amount by which the device was moved. This data was then converted into cursor movement on the monitor screen.
A mouse at that time was a very expensive pleasure. The Mouse House company produced similar devices that were priced at $400. Another $300 had to be paid for the interface board to which the mouse was connected. Such a high cost was due to the rather complex and not very reliable mechanical device mice. In short, the mouse became officially recognized, but in fact remained available only to developers of new computer technology. Ordinary users have so far stayed away from it due to the very high cost and, as a result, the inaccessibility of this device to them. 
15 years after the invention of the mouse, Apple company worked on Macintosh development. The company decided to equip these computers with newly invented accessories. The head of the corporation ordered the creation of a mouse, the cost of which was $25. The “Apple” device was significantly improved: firstly, it was decided to abandon the mechanical suspension - now a large rubber ball rolled freely in the case. The wheels were replaced by wheels with slotted slots, and electrical contacts- optics. Abandoning manual assembly, it was decided to use a plastic case, each part of which was fastened in its place. Thus, human labor was significantly abolished - now any worker could assemble a mouse on an assembly line.
The device invented by Engelbart and the development of the Macintosh influenced each other positively. The mouse became popular thanks to Apple, and the Macintoshes themselves - due to the fact that the corporation made a bold decision (and, subsequently, implemented) to equip computers with a mouse.
In August 1995, the second graphic operating system from Microsoft - Windows 95. Engelbart's invention played a significant role in the success of the operating system and contributed significantly to its success.
After the demonstration of the device, so popular these days, was successful, Douglas received a check for his invention in the amount of $10,000. At the beginning of the 21st century, Engelbart was awarded the National Medal of Technology for his inventions. This is considered in the United States the highest award for scientists for their IT achievements.
Douglas could now have countless treasures and be significantly richer than Bill Gates. It was not the American modesty of the one who invented the mouse that influenced the fact that he deliberately went into the shadows. Nowadays, few people know that it was Douglas Engelbart who in 1964 invented what the whole world has been using for more than half a century.
The invention was first shown on December 9, 1968 at the presentation of Engelbart's report on the work computer networks in San Francisco.
Who invented
A team of engineers led by Doug Engelbart at Stanford Research research institute developed a computer controller with two wheels at the bottom, and one of the researchers nicknamed it the “mouse.”
Recalls Engelbart: “We thought that when the controller became widespread, it would have a more worthy name.” But that didn't happen.
Engelbart began making the first sketches of a mouse in 1961, deciding that he could make something better than the then standard "light pen" that had been used in radar systems during World War II.
“We had several gadgets, but they were all terribly inconvenient - bulky and heavy, like a cannonball. We needed a controller that could be held with one hand and control the computer.”
What did the first mouse look like?
One of Engelbart's collaborators, Bill English, created a device based on "x-y" positioning. Simply put, these were two wheels located perpendicular to each other. In addition to wheels and a wooden body, the device had a button and a long cord with a plug at the end.
“We started testing and the mouse won in every category, even though it had never been used before,” Engelbart recalls. – The work was done faster, people made fewer mistakes. Five or six of us took part in these tests, but no one can remember who started calling this device a mouse. I’m surprised the name stuck.”
What was it made of?
She grew from a small wooden box to become important part computer equipment. But even though the computer mouse is turning 40 years old, there are signs that it may end up on the electronic scrapheap as successful experiments are being conducted on how to operate a computer without it.
Read also about the first in the world, about and about.
The first computer mouse, also known as x and y position indicator
The first computer mouse, also known as an x and y position indicator, also known as a computer manipulator, also known as a mouse-type manipulator, appeared in 1964.
It was invented by Douglas Carl Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute.
The computer mouse appeared while Douglas Engelbart was working on a project for new light pens for radar systems. The goal of the development team was to create the most convenient way information input and human-computer interaction.
During the tests, Engelbart's team tested various light pens, mini-joysticks and mice. As a result, in terms of ease of use and input accuracy, the computer mouse turned out to be head and shoulders above its competitors - when you take it in your hand, you immediately understand how it works.
One of Engelbart's team members, engineer Bill English, recalls that after the demonstration of the first mouse, there was deathly silence in the room. Then everyone started applauding. Then Engelbart's team realized that they had created something special.
The first computer mouse was a handmade wooden box
The first computer mouse was a handmade wooden box, inside of which were two perpendicular wheels and a button. When the mouse moved, the wheels rolled on the table and made it possible to find out the direction and amount of movement of the device. This data was converted into cursor movement on the screen.
The first computer mouse was introduced to the public by Douglas Engelbart on December 9, 1968, at the Fall Joint Computer Expo in San Francisco.
All over the world, Douglas Engelbart is rightly considered the inventor of the computer manipulator or the first computer mouse. However, as with most inventions, it did not come out of nowhere, and before the device that gave birth to the modern mouse was invented, several similar concepts, prototypes and fully functioning devices already existed. So, if you suddenly become interested in the origin and history of this assistant in navigating your workspace, you will find in this article a sufficient amount of information that may shed light on the questions you have.
First trackball
When tracing the history of the computer mouse, it is worth starting with one British engineer, whose invention was classified as a military secret and hidden from the public. This engineer was a professor Ralph Benjamin, who, while working in the scientific department of the British Navy, invented a device that functioned almost the same as a trackball back in the mid-40s of the last century. According to an interview with Dr. Benjamin conducted in 2013, he was tasked with helping develop a device called the Integrated Imaging System. She was earlier version A computer that was supposed to calculate the theoretical trajectory of the tracked aircraft based on user input.
The on-screen cursor was controlled by a simple joystick, which Benjamin thought could be greatly improved, and after some modifications he came up with what he called " roller ball" It functioned much like a standard mechanical mouse, having an external ball manipulating two rubberized wheels inside dedicated to the X and Y axes. This movement was then translated to corresponding movement of the cursor on the screen.
So why don't people think that it was the professor who invented the mouse? Besides the fact that Benjamin’s device was not the progenitor of the modern computer mouse, it was rather its absolute opposite. After all, instead of moving the mouse using the friction of the ball on the work surface, you had to turn the huge ball manually. So it was more like a huge mechanical mouse turned inside out. Although Benjamin's device was more accurate than a joystick, it was never implemented, and due to its status as a military secret, the professor did not receive the credit he deserved for inventing what was essentially a modern trackball. And even despite the innovative nature of the device, he remains an unknown figure in the history of computer technology.
Second try
A similar device to the previous one was developed independently of Benjamin's design in 1952 by the company Ferranti Canada, commissioned by the Canadian Defense Research Council. The company, among other things, was tasked with creating an input device for computers with a budget of "about zero dollars." Three engineers working for Ferranti Fred Longstaff, Tom Cranston And Canyon Taylor, came up with the idea of using a ball housed in a special housing, which was constantly in contact with four wheels located around it. When the ball was rotated in a given direction, the movement of the wheels was translated into corresponding movements of the cursor on the screen.
Simply put, it was an independent "four-wheel" version of Dr. Benjamin's trackball. It's funny that for the sake of the low budget with which the engineers had to work, they did not “reinvent the wheel.” Instead of designing a trackball from scratch, they simply used a 16cm bowling ball. Well, due to the fact that the device was also developed for the military, it was covered in a veil of secrecy.
You see, Engelbart's mouse didn't use a ball at all, instead two perpendicular wheels directly touched to control the position of the cursor. Although the design of this device was quite functional, its disadvantage was that one wheel constantly partially scratched the surface of the table. However, let's not get ahead of things.
Engelbart device
Douglas Engelbart developed what is believed to be the direct "ancestor" of the modern mouse in the 60s as part of a project to discover the most effective way interaction with a computer. Engelbart believed that existing devices devices used at the time (mainly keyboards and joysticks) were ineffective. With the help of an engineer Bill English he developed portable device, containing two perpendicular wheels, the movements of which were controlled by the cursor. Essentially, the principle of operation was the same as that of the two previously mentioned trackball devices, but without a ball and in a much more convenient size for one-handed operation.
Engelbart came up with the concept for this device in 1961, and the first prototype was created by English already in 1964. Later, in 1966, Engelbart and English NASA requesting funding for research to determine the most intuitive and efficient input device. The space agency agreed, after which a series of tests were carried out. The mouse turned out to be the most effective, which surprised many, even the creators, since it had not been tested at all before. And the name “mouse” itself stuck to the device at an unspecified moment during testing. As Engelbart notes, “This was most likely caused by a wire coming from the rear of the structure.”
At the Fall Joint computer conference, held in San Francisco on December 9, 1968, Engelbart introduced the mouse to more than a thousand computer engineers in one of the most influential computer presentations of all time, which also included other now well-known developments such as hyperlinks, video communications, remote access etc.
Mechanical computer mouse and Xerox
Despite the mouse's public debut to the best minds in the computer world, Engelbart's role and even the monumental presentation itself, which would greatly influence the next decades of computing, were largely forgotten. Like many other inventors before him, Engelbart received little recognition. This was despite the fact that a few years later English would go on to develop a mechanical computer mouse that used a ball to control the position of the cursor, which would become a common design for almost all mice until the advent of optical ones.
Besides gaining a little recognition, due to the fact that Engelbart and English were working at Stanford Research Institute when they developed the first mouse, they did not own the final patent that was granted for it in 1970. Thus, the creators did not have the money or rights to invent it. Stanford Research Institute reportedly made some money from the patent before it expired in 1984, when they licensed it to Apple.
By the way, speaking of Apple, the mouse as we know it today came to its final form largely thanks to Steve Jobs. When Jobs went to the research center, he saw a prototype of a mechanical mouse invented by Bill English, who was now working for Xerox PARC. Jobs immediately saw the device's profound potential. As it later turned out, Xerox had been selling their first computer, the Xerox Alto, along with this mouse since 1973 and later bundled it with Xerox 8010, released in 1981.
However, the company's top brass apparently misjudged how innovative their system was. As Jobs notes: “If Xerox knew what they had and took advantage of their real opportunities, they could be as great as I.B.M., Microsoft and Xerox themselves taken together are the largest high-tech company in the world."
Apple mouse
Jobs, stunned by this lack of vision, heads back to Apple and forces his team to completely rethink the vision. personal computer company, radically changing its plans, introducing a windowing system with a mouse as a key component. According to Dean Hovey, Jobs later explained to him: “The Xerox mouse is a $300 mouse that breaks within two weeks. Our goal is to produce an analogue for less than $15. But it should last at least a couple of years, and I want to use it on both laminate and jeans.” Howie then explained that he bought all the roll-on deodorants (because of the roll-ons themselves), as well as the oil can as a "case". This was the beginning of the Apple mouse. As for why the mouse Apple had only one button, unlike other competitors (the Xerox mouse had three buttons), everything here is as simple as possible. The company felt that managing such an outlandish and new device at that time was already a hassle, so making it simple and convenient was a priority.
First the emergence of Apple mouse was noted to be included with a rather controversial computer Apple Lisa. This was the first Apple mouse to have a steel ball that controlled internal positioning wheels. As a result, the design was redesigned once again (with the new rubber ball) for more popular computer The Apple Macintosh, released in 1984, was one of the first commercially successful devices to use a mouse. Microsoft also released its own mouse in 1983 for PC, in the period between the Apple Lisa and the much more famous Macintosh 128K, but it was the latter that subsequently stimulated the wider adoption of the mouse.
After the success of the Macintosh, other companies followed suit, and the mouse became a staple addition to every personal computer. Despite many predictions made at different times that the mouse will go the way of cassette tapes and push-button mobile phones, they are still popular and gaining various shapes and types to provide the greatest convenience and comfort when interacting with a computer.
Optical mouse
The optical mouse was developed around 1980, finally getting rid of the ball that often became dirty from rolling around on the desktop surface, which naturally had a negative impact on the mouse's performance. In 1988, a patent was issued for an optical mouse invented by Lisa M. Williams and Robert S. Cherry, which was to be sold commercially with Xerox products such as Xerox STAR. The production cost of one mouse was $17, and they went on sale for $35. Despite this, only in 1998 optical mice became a commercially viable alternative to mechanical mice and entered the mass consumer market. This was achieved by increasing the processing power of microcontrollers and reducing component costs.
And from that moment on, the market for controllers and manipulators began to develop at a rapid pace, as did other areas of technology and electronics. The first one appeared in 2004 laser mouse, later in 2010, devices were introduced such as the first 3-D mouse, which allows you to freely position the cursor in three-dimensional space, as well as Microsoft Kinect, which is a gesture-reading device. Returning specifically to computer mice, we remind you once again that modern market full of a wide variety of wired, wireless, gaming and other models. And you can find ratings of current new products in this area on our website.