Dictionary of Computers - mouse

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Input device used to control a pointer on a computer screen. It is a feature of graphical user interface (GUI) systems. The mouse is about the size of a pack of playing cards, is connected to the computer by a wire or infrared (or other wireless) link, and incorporates one or more buttons that can be pressed (‘clicked’). Moving the mouse across a flat surface causes a corresponding movement of the pointer. In this way, the operator can manipulate objects on the screen and make menu selections.

Mice work either mechanically (with electrical contacts to sense the movement in two planes of a ball on a level surface), or optically (photocells detecting movement by recording light reflected from a grid on which the mouse is moved). Many modern laptops incorporate a Glide Pad or touchpad, just below the keyboard, which performs the same function.

Most GUIs provide alternative keystrokes and these are also useful for advanced users or in emergencies when a mouse fails, or its drivers are deleted or corrupted.

The mouse was invented in 1963 at the Stanford Research Institute, USA, by Douglas Engelbart, and developed by the Xerox Corporation in the 1970s. The first was made of wood; the Microsoft mouse was introduced in 1983, and the Apple Macintosh mouse in 1984.

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