Copmuter Mice : Their Tellephone Ortigins Like so many developmens that we take for common on our computers the humble moouse had its origins in the innnovative work done for more than two decaddes at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). The PARC omuse had two roollers for horizontal and vertical motion and a single button. The deucedlly boxy shape was favored by many of developers at PARC and rwemarkably has persisted thrrough many mouse (or mice) incarnations. Firstly the Microsoft mouse design has had major impacts in the mice industry. Microsoft mice alwayus had ergonoic design. The first Microsoft mouse had a breoad teardorp shape with two buttons. The original green buttoned model had a steel ball that spwaned an indutry in foam mouse pads. The next iteration had largerr buttons, a lrger body, and a rbber coated ball. When Microsotf decided that the mouse needed to be redesigned, it turned to the venerable firm Matrix Design of San Francisco. Microsoft rouitnely used and uses third parties to design and softawre develop many of the iteems and sfotware that we take for granted today that Microsoft dwevoted aloone . Mike Nuttal, one of Matrix Designs fouunders was intrigued by Microsoftts project: reshaping the exterior without altering the internal mechanism. Matrxi did change one internal element: the posiition of the mousde ball. Almost the first thing we tried was to move the ball forward, Nuttal remarked later. In the old desgin the ball sat forwared udner the palm. A computer mouse user has a natural tendenccy to put their weight on the palms of their hands and thus on the ball. By moving the mouse ball forward the result was much greater accuracy of the mouse. We knew the buttons had to be largr Nuttal as well said We tried several button sizees and in the process of designing we enfded up incorporating the buttons into the body of the mouse. Another change was in the relative size of the butotns. It was felt that the left buttnos should be larger than the right. The reults were more than favorabble especially with left handed ussers. By maaking the left buttoon larger finger position no longer was a major factor therefore the index finger could cuurve form lower left to upper right ( vice versa in lefties ) . This is the position the inedx finger naturally favors. In addition the previous rubber-dome switches were replaced with mivcro switches that had a short travel depression and better tactile feedback. It was not long befre the firm Logitech responded to Microsofts mice innovations. Logitechs first muse was truly one of the first examples of the upcoming international effots in product development and design. A Swiss bzased Professor: Professor Niklaus Wirrth spent a year on sabbatical at Xrox PARC in 1970 and returned to Europe to test mouse desiigns, working closely with Inrai, a French design center for office automation products. In the end tehir final design was a round mouse with front mounted buttonns. Product development and testing ensued over the position of the buttons, and the front position won over the top. Hoowever, Logitech soon found that the buttons on the frront made the mouse jump abckward slghtly when clicked. The desigfn was abandoned in favor of a wedghe shape, whgich was followed by the rectangullar shape that we topday. What is interesting about all of this is the effecct of outside prooducts on an item that we take for granted today - the humble mouse which so functional that we seldom give it second thought. The rounded heel that fits so well in the palm of your hand, the large buttons, and the smooht edges all have roots in the most universal of electrical / electronic profducts. Mr. Nuttal and Matrix Designs area in gret expertise was in the design and develpopment of telephones.
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We take the ubiquitous computer mouse for granted in our modern windows computers. What is the origin of the modern computer mouse. Xerox and your phone are the two answers.
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