I still remember the exact time and place that I saw my first ‘mouse’.
We had been using computers in the office for several years, mostly for word processing. It was the year 1985 and one of my employers (the younger, hip one) invited everyone into his private office to see ‘the latest computer’ he had just purchased. We gathered around and he went on to explain how ‘THE MOUSE’ worked. The older, more wise partner/employer shook his head as if to say, ‘what’s he gonna waste money on next?‘
(Definition: In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user’s hands, with one or more buttons.
History: The second marketed version of an integrated mouse shipped as a part of a computer and intended for personal computer navigation came with the Xerox 8010 Star Information System in 1981. However, the mouse remained relatively obscure until the 1984 appearance of the Macintosh 128K, which included an updated version of the original Lisa Mouse. In 1982, Microsoft made the decision to make the MS-DOS program Microsoft Word mouse-compatible and developed the first PC-compatible mouse. Microsoft’s mouse shipped in 1983, thus beginning Microsoft Hardware in 1984)
Until that moment we used the keyboard to navigate everywhere and I wondered why anyone would want to use the ‘mouse’. Your hand would have to leave the keyboard, back and forth, back and forth; what a waste of time. And it would shoot my typist skills of 80-90 wpm all to hell! THIS WILL NEVER CATCH ON!
Now today, in the year 2013, I looked down and saw my mouse in a brand new light. My mouse still has its tail and still looks like its namesake. But a cooler, racier version, black with two racing strips down its back. And I smile because although we are in a highly evolved technological era (the Internet, surfing the Web, Cyberspace, call it what you will. I call it Fabulous!) we still call this tool, a ‘mouse‘.
Why isn’t it called a handheld techno-directional finder (HTDF) or some such acronym? But no. It is still the humble ‘mouse‘; most times these days, without its tail. Which then reminded me of the three blind mice and the butcher’s knife!
Funny thing this: when I looked for images (for this post) of ‘the mouse’ there were an equal number in images of the rodent and the HTDF!
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