Who invented the computer mouse and why is it called that?
Who invented the computer mouse? Why is the computer mouse called a mouse? This is the curious history and origin of the computer mouse.
The computer mouse is a pointing device that gives commands to the computer. And it seems that it has always existed, or at least it feels that way.
The question is why it is called a mouse.
Who invented the computer mouse?
The computer mouse was invented by Doug Englebart in 1964 at the Stanford Research Institute. He was one of the men who shaped the way we use computers.
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Years ago he had worked hard on his invention that would revolutionize the world of computing.
In their time, computers were room-sized calculating machines that could be used by only one user at a time. The information was put on stacks of punch cards and they had to wait for hours to get a hard copy of the answers.
In his vision, Dr. Engelbart saw himself in front of a large computer screen full of symbols that would serve as a workstation, where he would organize all the information and communications for a particular project.
It was with that motivation, and in those conditions that he was able to work with his team.
The first computer mouse used wheels, and was covered in a wooden box with a single button on top. The computer registered the movement of the wheel and thus the cursor moved on the screen.
The result was revealed in December 1968 when he made the first demonstration of how a computer mouse works.
In one hour he demonstrated how a computer could be controlled with the help of his new invention designed four years earlier.
On YouTube you can find the video of the 1968 presentation.
The presentation became known in Silicon Valley as the “mother of all demos.”
It wasn’t until the late 1980s that the mouse became the standard way to control a desktop computer.
Why is the mouse or computer mouse called so?
In fact in his first presentation Doug Englebart, talking about mouse movements, said right away, “we don’t know why we call it a mouse”.
So there is no story as such, about the origin of the name mouse.
It is difficult to determine when or how the name mouse came about. What is known is that, as the New York Times says , the term “mouse” came about under the supervision of Mr. English, who helped develop the computer mouse while working for Douglas Engelbart.
According to Roger Bates, a hardware designer and university student, who reported to Mr. English, he said “it seemed to everyone that the cursor was being chased by the tailed desktop device.”
Isn’t it interesting that thanks to the curious mind of Doug Englebart and all those who worked hard, today we can control a desktop computer with the help of a mouse? What do you think?
