Computer mouse: Difference between revisions

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[[File:A computer mouse, black and white, retouched, keyboard visible in background.jpg|thumb|A typical wireless computer mouse]]

A '''computer mouse''' (plural '''mice'''; rarely also '''mouses''')<ref group="nb" name="NB_Plural" /> is a hand-held [[pointing device]] that detects [[Plane (mathematics)|two-dimensional]] motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the [[Cursor (user interface)#Pointer|pointer]] (called a cursor) on a [[computer monitor|display]], which allows a smooth control of the [[graphical user interface]] of a [[computer]].

The first public demonstration of a mouse controlling a computer system was done by [[Doug Engelbart]] in 1968 as part of the [[Mother of All Demos]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://history-computer.com/computer-mouse-complete-history/ | title=Computer Mouse: Complete History | date=4 January 2021 }}</ref> Mice originally used two separate wheels to directly track movement across a surface: one in the x-dimension and one in the Y. Later, the standard design shifted to use a ball rolling on a surface to detect motion, in turn connected to internal rollers. Most modern mice use [[optical mouse|optical movement detection]] with no moving parts. Though originally all mice were connected to a computer by a cable, many modern mice are cordless, relying on short-range radio communication with the connected system.

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[[File:Мышь 2.jpg|thumb|A computer mouse is named for its resemblance to the [[Mouse|rodent]].]]

The earliest known written use of the term ''mouse'' or mice in reference to a computer pointing device is in [[Bill English (computer engineer)|Bill English]]'s July 1965 publication, "Computer-Aided Display Control".<ref name="English_1965" /> This likely originated from its resemblance to the shape and size of a [[mouse]], with the cord resembling its [[tail]].<ref name="OED" /><ref name="Bardini_2000" /> The popularity of wireless mice without cords makes the resemblance less obvious.

According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer under English, the term also came about because the [[cursor (user interface)|cursor]] on the screen was, for an unknown reason, referred to as "CAT" and was seen by the team as if it would be chasing the new desktop device.<ref name="Markoff_2005" /><ref name="Markoff_2013" />

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The device was patented in 1947,<ref name="Hill_2005_Benjamin">{{cite web |title=RALPH BENJAMIN: An Interview Conducted by Peter C. J. Hill |editor-first=Peter C. J. |editor-last=Hill |publisher=IEEE History Center, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. |date=2005-09-16 |type=Interview |series=Interview #465 |url=http://ethw.org/Oral-History:Ralph_Benjamin |access-date=2013-07-18}}</ref> but only a prototype using a metal ball rolling on two rubber-coated wheels was ever built, and the device was kept as a military secret.<ref name="Copping_2013_Benjamin">{{cite web |title=Briton: 'I invented the computer mouse 20 years before the Americans' |author-first=Jasper |author-last=Copping |publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|The Telegraph]] |date=2013-07-11 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10174366/Briton-I-invented-the-computer-mouse-20-years-before-the-Americans.html |access-date=2013-07-18}}</ref>

Another early trackball was built by [[Kenyon Taylor]], a British [[electrical engineering|electrical engineer]] working in collaboration with Tom Cranston and Fred Longstaff. Taylor was part of the original [[Ferranti Canada]], working on the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]'s [[DATAR]] (Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving) system in 1952.<ref name="Vardalas_1994_DATAR">{{cite journal |doi=10.1109/85.279228 |title=From DATAR to the FP-6000: Technological change in a Canadian industrial context |date=1994 |author-last=Vardalas |author-first=J. |journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=20–30 |s2cid=15277748 |url=https://ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/millennium/fp6000/fp6000_datar.html| issn = 1058-6180|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

DATAR was similar in concept to Benjamin's display. The trackball used four disks to pick up motion, two each for the X and Y directions. Several rollers provided mechanical support. When the ball was rolled, the pickup discs spun and contacts on their outer rim made periodic contact with wires, producing pulses of output with each movement of the ball. By counting the pulses, the physical movement of the ball could be determined. A [[computer#Vacuum tubes and digital electronic circuits|digital computer]] calculated the tracks and sent the resulting data to other ships in a task force using [[pulse-code modulation]] radio signals. This trackball used a standard Canadian [[five-pin bowling]] ball. It was not patented, since it was a secret military project.<ref>{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrzgS5SoMzcC&q=intitle:%22Pioneers+in+Canadian+Electrical+Manufacturing%22 |title=Ferranti-Packard: Pioneers in Canadian Electrical Manufacturing |author-first1=Norman R. |author-last1=Ball |author-first2=John N. |author-last2=Vardalas |publisher=[[McGill-Queen's Press]] |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-7735-0983-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ieee.ca/millennium/fp6000/fp6000_datar.html |title=FP-6000 -- From DATAR To The FP-6000 |work=ieee.ca |access-date=2021-06-28 |archive-date=2019-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404053248/http://www.ieee.ca/millennium/fp6000/fp6000_datar.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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[[File:Telefunken Rollkugel RKS 100-86 (bottom).jpg|thumb|right|The bottom side of the Telefunken {{lang|de|Rollkugel}} ''RKS&nbsp;100-86'' shows the ball]]

As noted above, the device was based on an earlier trackball-like device (also named ''{{lang|de|[[Rollkugel (trackball device)|Rollkugel]]}}'') that was embedded into radar flight control desks.<ref name="HNF_2016_Blog" /> This trackball had been originally developed by a team led by {{ill|Rainer Mallebrein|de}} at Telefunken {{lang|de|Konstanz}} for the German ''{{lang|de|{{ill|Bundesanstalt für Flugsicherung|de}}}}'' (Federal Air Traffic Control). It was part of the corresponding workstation system SAP&nbsp;300 and the terminal SIG&nbsp;3001, which had been designed and developed since 1963.<ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> Development for the TR&nbsp;440 main frame began in 1965.<ref name="Telefunken_1966" /><ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> This led to the development of the TR&nbsp;86 process computer system with its SIG&nbsp;100-86<ref name="Bülow_2009_Rollkugel" /><ref name="CHM_SIG-100" /> terminal. Inspired by a discussion with a university customer, Mallebrein came up with the idea of "reversing" the existing {{lang|de|Rollkugel}} trackball into a moveable mouse-like device in 1966,<ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> so that customers did not have to be bothered with mounting holes for the earlier trackball device. The device was finished in early 1968<!-- Steinbach has an obvious typo: 1966/1968 -->,<ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> and together with [[light pen]]s and [[trackball]]s, it was commercially offered as an optional input device for their system starting later that year.<ref name="Neubauer_1968" /><ref name="CHM_SIG-100" /><ref name="Telefunken_1971" /><ref name="Telefunken_1972" /> Not all customers opted to buy the device, which added costs of {{currency|1500|DM}} per piece to the already up to 20-million DM deal for the main frame, of which only a total of 46 systems were sold or leased.<ref name="Bülow_2009_Rollkugel" /><ref name="Holland_2019" /> They were installed at more than 20 German universities including [[RWTH Aachen]], [[Technische Universität Berlin]], [[University of Stuttgart]]<ref name="Vaihingen_2016" /><ref name="Borchers_2016" /> and [[University of Konstanz|Konstanz]].<ref name="Ebner_2018" /> Several {{lang|de|Rollkugel}} mice installed at the [[Leibniz Supercomputing Centre]] in Munich in 1972 are well preserved in a museum<!-- another sources states that Garching/Munich has 4 Rollkugeln -->,<ref name="Bülow_2009_Rollkugel" /><ref name="OldMouse_Telefunken" /><ref name="HNF_2016_Blog" /> two others survived in a museum at Stuttgartthe University of Stuttgart,<ref name="Vaihingen_2016" /><ref name="Yacoub-Turfa-Maurer_2016" /><ref name="HNF_2016_Blog" /> two in Hamburg<!-- one at the university, the other at Jürgen Müller -->, the one from Aachen at the [[Computer History Museum]] in the US,<ref name="CHM_RKS-100" /><ref name="HNF_2016_Blog" /> and yet another sample was recently donated to the [[Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum]] (HNF) in Paderborn.<ref name="HNF_2019_Presentation" /><ref name="Holland_2019" /> Anecdotal reports claim that Telefunken's attempt to patent the device was rejected by the German Patent Office due to lack of inventiveness.<ref name="HNF_2016_Blog" /><ref name="Ebner_2018" /><ref name="Holland_2019" /><ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> For the air traffic control system, the Mallebrein team had already developed a precursor to [[touch screen]]s in form of an ultrasonic-curtain-based pointing device in front of the display.<ref name="Steinbach_2018" /> In 1970, they developed a device named "[[Touchinput]]-{{lang|de|Einrichtung}}" ("touch input device") based on a conductively coated glass screen.<ref name="Ebner_2018" /><ref name="Steinbach_2018" />

=== First mice on personal computers and workstations ===

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When holding a typical mouse, the [[ulna]] and [[radius (bone)|radius]] bones on the [[arm]] are crossed. Some designs attempt to place the palm more vertically, so the bones take more natural parallel position.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://evoluent.com/products/vm4r/ |title=Evoluent VerticalMouse Vertical Mouse ergonomic mouse ergonomic computer mouse carpal tunnel syndrome repetitive stress disorder RSI |work=evoluent.com}}</ref>

Increasing mouse height and angling the mouse topcase can improve wrist posture without negatively affecting performance.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Odell |first1=Dan |last2=Johnson |first2=Peter |date=2015 |title=Evaluation of flat, angled, and vertical computer mice and their effects on wrist posture, pointing performance, and preference |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26444940/ |journal=Work (Reading, Mass.) |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=245–253 |doi=10.3233/WOR-152167 |issn=1875-9270 |pmid=26444940}}</ref> Some limit wrist movement, encouraging arm movement instead, that may be less precise but more optimal from the health point of view. A mouse may be angled from the thumb downward to the opposite side – this is known to reduce wrist pronation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ergocanada.com/detailed_specification_pages/hippus_nv_handshoe_mouse_original.html |title=Handshoe Mouse (Original) |author=Product Specialists |work=ergocanada.com |access-date=2014-07-04 |archive-date=2014-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145735/http://www.ergocanada.com/detailed_specification_pages/hippus_nv_handshoe_mouse_original.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> However such optimizations make the mouse right or left hand specific, making more problematic to change the tired hand. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' has criticized manufacturers for offering few or no left-handed ergonomic mice: "Oftentimes I felt like I was dealing with someone who'd never actually met a left-handed person before."<ref name="Confessions of a Left-Handed Technology User">{{cite magazine |author-last=McCracken |author-first=Harry |title=Confessions of a Left-Handed Technology User |url=https://techland.time.com/2012/08/27/left-handed-technology/ |magazine=Time |access-date=2015-08-15}}</ref>

[[File:Roller bar mouse.JPG|thumb|Keyboard with roller bar mouse]]

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[[File:Mouse quadrature encoding Lyon 1980.png|thumb|Signals XA and XB in [[quadrature phase|quadrature]] convey X-direction motion, while YA and YB convey Y-dimension motion; here the pointer (cursor) is shown drawing a small curve.]]

Because the IBM PC did not have a [[quadrature decoder]] built in, early PC mice used the [[RS-232C]] serial port to communicate encoded mouse movements, as well as provide power to the mouse's circuits. The [[Mouse Systems Corporation]] (MSC) version used a five-byte protocol and supported three buttons. The Microsoft version used a three-byte protocol and supported two buttons. Due to the incompatibility between the two protocols, some manufacturers sold serial mice with a mode switch: "PC" for MSC mode, "MS" for Microsoft mode.<ref name="Paul_2002">{{cite web |title=Re: [fd-dev] ANNOUNCE: CuteMouse 2.0 alpha 1 |author-first=Matthias R. |author-last=Paul |work=freedos-dev |date=2002-04-06 |url=https://marc.info/?l=freedos-dev&m=101807226917577 |access-date=2020-02-07 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207130948/https://marc.info/?l=freedos-dev&m=101807226917577&w=2 |archive-date=2020-02-07}}</ref><ref name="Isaja_2003">{{cite web |title=FreeDOS-32&nbsp;– Serial Mouse driver |author-first=Salvatore |author-last=Isaja |date=2003-09-03 |url=httphttps://freedos-32.sourceforge.net/showdoc.php?page=sermouse |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302000300/http://freedos-32.sourceforge.net/showdoc.php?page=sermouse |archive-date=2009-03-02}}</ref>

=== Apple Desktop Bus ===

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In 1988, the [[VTech Socrates]] educational video game console featured a wireless mouse with an attached mouse pad as an optional controller used for some games. In the early 1990s, the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] video game system featured a [[SNES Mouse|mouse]] in addition to its controllers. A mouse was also released for the [[Nintendo 64]], although it was only released in Japan. The 1992 game ''[[Mario Paint]]'' in particular used the mouse's capabilities,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2011/aug/19/0819-e1-super-nostalgia-local-gamers-fondly/56755/ |title=Super Nostalgia: Local Gamers Fondly Remember Super Nintendo on Its 20th Anniversary |author-first=Casey |author-last=Phillips |newspaper=[[Times Free Press]] |date=2011-08-19 |access-date=2015-10-18}}</ref> as did its Japanese-only successor ''[[Mario Artist]]'' on the N64 for its [[64DD]] disk drive peripheral in 1999. [[Sega]] released official mice for their [[Sega Genesis|Genesis/Mega Drive]], [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] and [[Dreamcast]] consoles. [[NEC]] sold official mice for its [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]] and [[PC-FX]] consoles. [[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony]] released an official mouse product for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, included one along with the [[Linux for PlayStation 2]] kit, as well as allowing owners to use virtually any [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] mouse with the [[PlayStation 2|PS2]], [[PlayStation 3|PS3]], and [[PlayStation 4|PS4]]. Nintendo's [[Wii]] also had this feature implemented in a later software update, and this support was retained on its successor, the [[Wii U]]. [[Microsoft|Microsoft's]] [[Xbox]] line of game consoles (which used operaring systems based on modified versions of [[Windows NT]]) also had universal-wide mouse support using USB.

On June 5, 2025, Nintendo released the [[Joy-Con|Joy-Con 2]] controller, a gaming controller with mouse control for the [[Nintendo Switch 2]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Switch 2: System Features and Play Modes - Nintendo US |url=https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/features/ |access-date=2025-08-04 |website=www.nintendo.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==