The legendary inventor of the computer mouse

Silicon Valley has given birth to a mouse, and who was the father of the computer mouse?

Some legends say the computer that created the computer mouse in a laboratory Xerox, others - that the mouse has been created by the order from Apple. In fact, the computer mouse, it is also an indicator of positions of x and y, it is also a computer pointing device, it is also a manipulator-type mouse, "born" in 1964. It invented by Douglas Engelbart Carl (Douglas Carl Engelbart; b. January 30, 1925 ) at Stanford Research Institute (by the way, have you thought about why almost all digital discoveries and inventions come from Silicon Valley)?

"State order" on the mouse has been - it has emerged as one of the by-products of the development of Engelbart operating system oN-Line System (NLS). While working on the NLS introduced the concept of "windows" interface and the mouse was established as one of the possible manipulators to work with windows. In fact, the idea of ​​such a manipulator appeared in 1963, and in 1964 was made the first working prototype (in one interview Engelbart said that the first thought of creating such a device came from him even in 1951.!).

The first computer mouse was a wooden (!) Box of handmade, inside which there were two perpendicular wheel and a button. When moving the mouse wheel rolled across the table and lets you know the direction and amount of movement of the device. These data are converted into cursor movement on the screen.



December 9, 1968 was held the first public demonstration of NLS and, with it, the prototype mouse. And in 1970 Engelbart received a patent for "indicator x and y coordinates for display system." In the archives of the virtual museum Stanford kept training film in 1968, which demonstrates the first computer mouse and its - great for that time! - capabilities. It is lined with 35 video clips, one dedicated to the mouse.

As the mouse has won the computer world
The next "Mouse move" was made in 1972 at the research center Xerox PARC in Palo Alto (Silicon Valley again!). Improved version of the mouse for Xerox was founded Bill English who crossed at PARC from the laboratory Engelbart: two big wheels were replaced with a single bearing, the movement of which were recorded with the help of two rollers inside the mouse. Design Corps has become more like a modern mouse.

Until the early 80-ies of XX century. Mouse was still an exotic device. In 1983, there were about 10 companies producing and selling various models of computer mice. Some of these companies was founded by former employees of the laboratory Engelbart.

By the way, the mouse in those days was expensive. For example, the mouse company The Mouse House, based on the design and patent Xerox, cost about $ 400 (plus $ 300 for the interface card that connects to the mouse). This is explained by the fact that the mouse was quite difficult (and not very reliable!) Mechanical device.

In short, a mouse, though was "officially recognized" peripheral, but still remained a lot of research and development of new computer technologies, but not ordinary users!

In 1979, Apple has decided to equip its new OS mice, and Steve Jobs has ordered the creation of a mouse - unpretentious, reliable, at a cost of about $ 20-30 - design company Hovey-Kelley Design. As a result, the mouse has been significantly modified: Instead of a small steel bearings in a complex mechanical suspension had a large rubber ball, rolling around freely in the body. The system of wheels and unreliable electrical contacts replaced optoelectronic converters and wheels with slotted slits. Furthermore, it was decided to use a plastic molded body in which the necessary details clearly fastened in place. Thus, it was possible to abandon the precision machining of the housing and hand-built - now the mouse can collect any worker on the assembly line!



Steve Jobs (Apple) and Bill Gates (Microsoft).

We can say that the computer mouse has gained popularity thanks to computers Apple Macintosh, - and she, in turn, was one of the reasons for the overwhelming success of the Macintosh in 1984! Successful start in August 1995 of Windows 95 (marked the beginning of the triumphant march across the planet from Microsoft and its "child"!) Is also to a large extent spospeshestvovala mouse Engelbart. By the way, Microsoft has introduced mouse support in IBM PC back in 1983, but later (Billy, as always, a little late, but time recalls! ..) Than Apple, drew attention to the possibility of a mouse when working with "windows" systems. < br />
About the name "tailed monster»
About the title of the mouse also go computer related legends - that it offered to include, for example, "beetle". This legend and nothing more: in every interview - on
the question of the title - Engelbart invariably replied: "I do not know why we call it a mouse. The name caught on right away, and we never changed it ».

As the computer world thanked the inventor for his invention
In 1968 Engelbart received for his invention of a check for $ 10,000, and the entire fee, introduced as the first deposit for a modest suburban house ...
1 December 2000 Engelbart - for all its inventions, including the invention of the computer mouse - was awarded the National Medal of Technology (The National Medal of Technology) - one of the highest awards of US scientists for achievements in IT-sphere.



Douglas Engelbart - the legendary inventor of all the familiar "mouse».

Now Douglas Engelbart could be richer and the famous Bill Gates, but - unlike the latter! - It is not the American way is modest: deliberately "left in the shade," and few people remember it.
Of course, about the inventor of the computer mouse did not say that he is as poor as a church mouse, but millions / billions on his invention, he - alas! - Did not work! ..