The Mouse in Software

Creation Code39 in Software The Mouse

A PC s mouse is so named because it looks like a house mouse, although its tail is beginning to disappear as we enter the cordless era The mouse, which changed the way we interact with PCs, allows us to point and click our way around the Windows interface The mouse, though, is but one of many types of devices that do the same thing controls the movement of the pointer

For its first decade, the mouse was a simple electromechanical device with a couple of buttons on top and a small recessed rubber ball on the bottom You can still purchase a mouse with a mechanical ball, but for a little more money you can enjoy one of today s precision high-tech mice These mice use optical technology to sense the movement of the mouse With no moving parts, the optical mice tend to live longer,

too Although some mice are hand-neutral, most are designed for use by either a left or right hander Some mice are cordless, so you don t have to worry about an always-in-the-way tail on a busy desk Cordless mice transmit movements to a transceiver that is plugged into a USB port

The operation of the mouse is intuitive As you move it across the desktop, the pointer on the display moves in the same direction As the pointer across the screen, it is constantly changing shapes to reflect its function as you move between applications and menus Mostly it s an arrow you use to select options and navigate about the screen In a word processing document, it s an I beam symbol that lets you click where you wish to begin text entry In an Internet browser, it changes to a hand with a pointing finger when rolled over a link to another Internet destination In a graphics program, a crosshair pointer indicates you are ready to draw Mice and other similar devices have two regular buttons (a primary and secondary), a wheel button, and possibly two or more additional buttons, as shown in Figure 3-1 and described here:

button typically is the left button under our forefinger Use this button to select and choose items, to position the pointer within a document,

Primary button: Select (click) and choose (double-click)

Figure 3-1

(Photo courtesy of Logitech)

and to move things You tap, or click, the primary button to select items, such as a file, an application, or a menu option You tap a button twice in rapid succession, or double-click, to choose an item For example, you double-click on a file to open it For drag operations, where you move items, press and hold the left button, then move the pointer to the desired location and release the button For example, you can drag a window by its title bar to reposition it on the screen Or, you can drag a block of text from one paragraph to another Secondary button The function of the right button varies between software packages, but often it is used to call up a menu of options related to the current activity Right-click anywhere at any time to call up a menu of related operations Wheel button Roll the wheel with your forefinger to scroll up or down to view whatever is currently above or below the viewing area The wheel comes in handy when doing word processing and surfing the Internet Like the secondary button, the function of the wheel varies, depending on the position of the pointer and the application On some mice the wheel can be clicked, too, giving the mouse additional functionality Additional buttons Some mice, such as the one in Figure 3-1, have two additional buttons on the side that can be operated with the thumb Usually, these buttons are used to page forward and backward in a document or a web site; however, you can set user preferences such that they can perform different functions