The Invention and Impact of The Computer Mouse
If you ask people to name one of the most important technologies of the twentieth century, one of the answers would most certainly be the computer. A computer, however, is not a technology all to itself. Many other technologies went into the modern home computers of today, including the mouse. Douglas C. Engelbart, a worker at the SRI (Stanford Research Institute), invented the mouse in 1964. However, the process of the invention of the mouse was not instantaneous and without effect on the realm of computing and society. In this paper I will be examining the problems that had to be overcome and the technologies that had to be invented for the mouse to become a reality. It also
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That is when Bob Taylor, a representative of NASA, stepped in and collected enough money from NASA to keep the lab running. Bob Taylor once again helped the lab by getting more than adequate funding from ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) to support the work of Engelbart to its conclusion.
During the time when the mouse debuted computers had just arrived into the small business market. They were still costly and not economically viable for home computer users. Because of the great expense involved there was no need to cater to the needs of the general public, which requires user-friendly computers. User-friendly means that the computer's operating system and interface are easy-to-learn. The change to using the mouse was also uneconomical for computer manufacturers of the time because there was no demand for them except for the editing of text. Some computers of the time were equipped with mouse support, specifically the Amstrad PC 1512, but the mouse remained unpopular due to its limited uses. The first commercial mouse was not released until 1982.
Hardware and software support is another problem the mouse had to overcome. As mentioned previously, the mouse was released before most computer systems had hardware support for it. Therefore, even if the computer used a program that incorporated a mouse, there was nowhere to connect the mouse with the motherboard. Also there was no code for the CPU (central processing unit) to understand the signals
Graphical user interface, a GUI (pronounced as either G-U-I or gooey ) allows the use of icons or other visual indicators to interact with electronic devices , rather than using only text via the command line . For example , all versions of Windows utilize a GUI whereas MS-DOS does not . The GUI was first developed at Xerox PARC by Alan Kay , Douglas Engelbart , and a group of other researchers in 1981. Later , Apple introduced the Lisa computer , the first commercially available computer , on January
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Science & Technology have grown-up a radical contribution to industry, and the personal computer has become a defining symbol of our age. In 1940, it was not recognized that Science & Technology would develop into an innovative way that would intensely affect business, trade, the monetary world, administration, discipline, education, communications, entertainment, and society as a whole. Today, information technology and its applications persist to go forward progressively. Computers and communication technology will become even more precious to civilization as they are ever more able to distinguish
As the use of computers and other electronic devices is growing by day, new and better technologies in the way that these devices are made are finding their way into the computer world. The result of this has been an increase in computer related applications, better electronics and more complex systems being developed for use (Norman, 2007). As such, this has prompted different electronic designers to come up with the most appropriate technologies that make it easier for different users to interact with the availed technologies. The result of this has been the product of both the Multi-Touch Screen and the Mouse-Driven Screens interfaces.
What's more, to add to the issue, every pc used different codes, known as "machine language". It was not until Grace Hopper constructed the "computer language", making those pc’s a greater amount straight forward. Before, Pcs were not provided with much attention from the rest of the world but some “nerds” did pay attention. Eventually microprocessors were quickly created by Intel, supplanting transistors and vacuum tubes, and it rolled the ball for the thing that may be known to those to be the "PC Revolution".
As a consequence, Gates devised the mouse to its already established interface. Eventually, other companies began to develop similar computers featuring screens and other controls similar to the mouse. However, Gates vision was unique because he wanted his computer to reach the general public while those other companies were targeting only big companies and wealthy people. Nowadays, almost everyone around the world has a personal computer. Equally important, the implementation of a screen and a mouse helps programmers develop advanced programing languages with ease.
Microsoft kept the rights to this software and made a fortune off it from IBM and other software companies that followed IBM's lead to using.it. (britannica.com) In May of 1983, Microsoft mouse was released, which took some time for people to get used to it at first. The mouse changed the way people used computers by mostly eliminating the keyboard. Also, in 1983 Microsoft Windows
From a calculator that weighed twenty-seven tons to a slim, multi-purposed object that could fit right into people’s pockets, the development of technology has revolutionized lives all around the world in just over fifty years. The Silicon Valley in California has become the center of technological innovation and home to hundreds of tech corporations that would make technology practical and affordable. Today, technology is found everywhere in people’s everyday lives, with more functions and computing power than what would have ever been imagined in the early twentieth century. Vast amounts of information lie at the click of a mouse as a result of the evolution of electronics in the mid-1900s. Through the new ideas of scientists, such as Robert
When computers were first being made they were not available to the public. Even if you had access to these computers, you probably would not know how to use them because they were just lots and lots of switches all connected to each other. Only special people who were trained to use them could enter in information to them, this was a
Today’s generation could never ever imagine in their wildest dreams about the world, ages before, when there were no computers or any other technologies. So much we have advanced that now every information is just a click away and is in your hands 24/7. All this advancement was possible only with the introduction of a small device called the “Computer”. The computer is considered the most revolutionary invention of the twentieth century and it appears to be as well. The impact of computer usage can be found in
On the other hand, computers are one of the technologies that changed greatly over time the most. they can make our work easier, well-organized and more convenient than using the old ways of writing and computing files. From bulky computers with CPU, keyboards and mouse, have changed into portable laptops and net book which help us access Internet immediately. Computers are also becoming touch screens. More like tablets today. We better take note that we don’t have to use our mouse or keyboard because they are operated with just a touch of our hand. It feels like we are writing in our notepad, yet so easy.
The old English proverb, Aesop for Children, tells the story of a father who charges his sons to break a bundle of sticks one by one. They easily do so. Then he charges them to break the united bundle of sticks. None come close. This is a proverb demonstrating the strength in unity and coordination. This is a proverb an American engineer and inventor largely upheld throughout the course of his life’s accomplishments. Douglas Engelbart, largely known as the inventor of the mouse, affected the history of computing technology in a much deeper manner. Rather a chronological account of Engelbart’s entire life, this research paper analyzes his greatest accomplishments in a chronological order that directly supported the increased coordination of user’s efforts. Douglas Engelbart transcended the limits of computing technology by aligning human minds with computing systems through his collaborative user interface scheme.
System (circuit board) was using MOT 6502 which was 8-bit (nowadays 64 bit architectures) microprocessor chosen over Motorola 6800 which was nearly 10 times more expensive. There was a few disadvantages of that choice like smaller amount of instructions. The MOS6502 was able to carry only 52 instructions where the Motorola had 72 available for an assembler. Other than that specs where very similar like clock frequency (1 MHz) and 64kb of addressable memory. Each system was also coming with 8k bytes DRAM (dynamic memory) on board which was faster than standard equivalent and it was taking less space on the motherboard. DRAM was also energy efficient so it doesn’t harm home user budget. Like every system needs a programing language he designed a BASIC language which was allowing user to do several calculations. For the input he used an ASCI keyboard (Yes the same ASCII we use today). Keyboard needed an on board program for decoding and his done that innovative way. Wozniak have used PROM which was a programmable read only memory. PROM was non-volatile memory there for he could write a program for use of a keyboard which would be there even when power is off ready for next use. The process of programming PROM wasn’t easy and could be done only once by burning fuses in the memory cell. The burning was done by applying higher voltage in to the sells where the fuse needed to be burned out. Every burned cell was read by the
If you have small pets like a ferret, pet rat, or hamster, it may bother you to kill wild mice when they enter your home. It's important to get rid of the mice though because they can spread diseases to your pets. The presence of mice could make your pets anxious or they could get hurt if a mouse gets too close and a fight ensues. That leaves you looking for a humane way to get rid of your mice. Here are a couple of options.
For the first time, the term “ubiquitous computing” was mentioned in the Scientific American article, “The Computer in the 21st Century.”
To combat the frustration caused by MS-DOS, Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1983. Windows 1.0 was introduced as “unique software designed for the serious PC user” (Microsoft, Era 1, para 2) by Bill Gates. Windows 1.0 enabled users to maneuver a mouse to point and click versus typing in difficult to remember commands. This was not, however, the first operating system to use the point and click technology. The low price is what really made Windows 1.0 stand out from the