Techsurvivors
Welcome to Techsurvivors => Tech => Topic started by: Xairbusdriver on July 04, 2013, 08:09:46 AM
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Douglas Englebart, who invented the computer mouse, died yesterday at the age of 88. His last of 21 patents, granted in 1970, was for for: "An X-Y position indicator control for movement by hand over any surface to move a cursor over the display on a cathode ray tube..."
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Not sure if our newscasters are correct, but they said he sold his patent to Apple for what's truly a very small amount of money and he never received any royalties for his invention.
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Surely the mouse was used by Xerox before Apple's Lisa?
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PARC did use a mouse and that was a major part of what Mr. Jobs 'borrowed.' Here's a site that provides lots of details and additional links that may help decipher what we are told by 'news' sources!
Englebart Instutue
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TidBITS #1181 provides a link to a "Mother of All Demos" presented by Mr. Englebart back in 1968. I have to admit I haven't watched the whole thing yet (it's around 90 minutes!). But you will probably think you're seeing something like the predecessor of the Apple ][ or even the TRS-80 or even earlier machines. VERY, very basic, text-only display. Even though his mouse was used, it was still not doing anything like it does today... or even in 1984! Take a good look at the "keyboard" he is using. I think it served as a holder for TV dinners when not used with the computer!
<The Mother of All Demos, presented by Douglas Engelbart (1968)>