Computer mouse: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Telefunken Rollkugel RKS 100-86 (bottom).jpg|thumb|right|The bottom side of the Telefunken {{lang|de|Rollkugel}} ''RKS 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 ==