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The track-ball – an ancestor of the computer mouse
The computer mouse was not invented until the 1960s, but it has many similarities with the trackball created by the British scientist and electrical engineer Ralph Benjamin for radar plotting in 1946. The trackball is therefore commonly seen as an ancestor of the computer mouse. It was invented for a fire-control radar plotting system named The Comprehensive Display System (CDS) while Benjamin was working for the British Royal Navy Scientific Service.
Benjamin´s project originally used a joystick, and Benjamin designed the track-ball (he called it a roller ball) as a more elegant and functional solution. The device was patented in 1947 but was kept a military secret.
In 1952, the British electrical engineer Kenyon Taylor came up with a similar device while working together with Tom Cranston and Fred Longstaff on the Royal Canadian Navy’s DATAR (Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving) system. This track-ball used four disks to pick up movements; two for the X direction and two for the Y direction. For mechanical support, it had been fitted with several rollers. The ball inside the device was actually a standard Canadian five-pin bowling ball. Just like the British track-ball the Canadian track-ball was kept a military secret.
The concept and the first computer mouse prototype
The concept of the computer mouse was developed in the early 1960s by Douglas Engelbart, a visionary computer scientist at the Stanford Research Institute. In 1963, Engelbart, along with his colleague Bill English, developed the first prototype of the mouse. This initial mouse was a simple wooden shell with two metal wheels and a single button, connected to a computer by a cord. It was called the “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.”
Engelbart publicly demonstrated the mouse in 1968 during a presentation known as “The Mother of All Demos.” This groundbreaking event showcased the potential of interactive computing, including the use of the mouse to control a graphical user interface (GUI).
The name “mouse”
As far as we know, the earliest written use of the term mouse for a computing device is from 1965 and it appears in Bill English´s publication “Computer-Aided Display Control” which was released in July that year. It is probably a reference to how the device somewhat had the size and shape of a mouse, with the cord being the tail.
According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer working under Bill English, the cursor on the screen was referred to as CAT for unknown reasons.
The ball mouse
In the early 1970s, the abovementioned Bill English created a new type of computer mouse by replacing the external wheels with a ball capable of rotating in any direction against the underlying surface. For many years, the “ball mouse” was the most common type of computer mouse on the market.
Integration with the Xerox Alto
One of the early computers that had a GUI and a computer mouse was the Xerox PARC, developed by the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). It came to have a big influence on the adoptation of computer mouse use among computer users of the time.
The first optical mouse (special mouse pad required)
The first optical mice appeared in the early 1980s, developed by companies like Mouse Systems Corporation. These mice used LEDs and photodetectors to track movement on special mouse pads with a grid pattern.
Apple Lisa and Apple Macintosh – important steps for the commercialization and popularization of the computer mouse
The first commercially available computer to include a mouse was the Apple Lisa, released in 1983. The Lisa’s mouse featured a single button and was designed to work seamlessly with its GUI.
The release of the Apple Macintosh in 1984 brought the computer mouse into mainstream use. The Macintosh’s mouse was more refined, featuring a sleek design and improved ergonomics. Apple’s marketing and the user-friendly interface of the Macintosh helped popularize the mouse.
The modern optical mouse (no special mouse pad required)
The modern optical mouse, which doesn’t require a special pad, was introduced by Agilent Technologies in 1999. This mouse used an optical sensor and a light-emitting diode (LED) to track movement on almost any surface.
Wireless computer mice – infrared, radio frequency and Bluetooth
Early wireless mice used infrared (IR) technology, requiring a direct line of sight to the receiver. Later models used radio frequency (RF) technology, which provided greater range and flexibility.
Wireless mice utilizing Bluetooth and advanced RF technology became popular in the early 2000s, offering reliable performance and longer battery life.
Laser mice
Logitech introduced the first laser mouse in 2004. Laser mice use a laser diode instead of an LED, providing more precise tracking on a wider variety of surfaces.
Touch and Gesture-Controlled Mice
Apple released the Magic Mouse in 2009, featuring a multi-touch surface that allows users to perform gestures for scrolling and other functions.
Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse introduced a touch-sensitive strip for scrolling and other gestures, combining portability with advanced functionality.
Gaming mice
As playing advanced computer games became more popular, a demand for better computer mice arose. High-performance gaming mice come with features such as adjustable sensitivity (DPI), customizable buttons, and RGB lighting. Razer, Logitech, and Corsair are all exemples of developers of specialized mice for gamers.
