Computer mouse birthday

December 9 is the birthday of the computer mouse It was born in 1968 thanks to the American inventor Douglas Engelbart On this day, he presented a conference on computer technology, which took place in San Francisco This first device was in the form of a wooden cube with disks and just one button Jeff Rulifson did the software and engineer Bill English did the assembly There were two disks inside the cube One was responsible for moving back and forth, and the second turned when it was moved left and right It was called a mouse because of the cord The idea was later developed by Xerox The researchers redesigned the design, which was more similar to modern models The discs in it were replaced by a roller and instead of one button there were 3 But its cost was exorbitant - $400 Apple has solved this problem and reduced the cost of a new model for the Lisa computer to $20 It was thanks to this company that the computer mouse became popular It began to be actively used on the Apple Macintosh And later on the IBM PC in the Windows operating system In the process of evolution, mechanical mice with a roller have completely replaced optical ones They track the mouse's movement relative to the surface using optical sensors Their mass production began recently - in 2004 But now it is almost impossible to find a mechanical mouse Also, some models have lost their “tail” Bluetooth is used as a signal transmitter, which is convenient for computers that are initially equipped with adapters, or receiving devices that connect directly to the computer And the power supply is batteries or an accumulator, which is recharged from the computer The latest innovation, which is not yet widely used, is the gyroscopic mouse A manipulator with a gyroscope can recognize movement in space That is, it can be operated while in the air using your hand Doesn't have to be on a surface There are no special honors for the mouse But it is precisely the date of appearance of the first analogue of a modern mouse that developers often time the presentation of new products A large number of brands produce this accessory They organize thematic exhibitions, seminars, and trainings The media publishes articles dedicated to the manipulator The modern variety of designs is surprising Of course, ergonomic models are the most popular, but you can find any shape: cars, rockets, hands, etc The number of buttons is no longer a standard value