The computer mouse has come a long way since its humble beginnings at MIT. The mouse today serves as one of two primary methods for operating and inputing data into our computers, and as a result different manufacturers have come up with dozens of styles and variations that seek to make using a mouse easier, more comfortable, and more user friendly.
In the Beginning There Was The Mechanical Mouse, And It Was... Good? The first computer mouse consisted of essentially two wheels rotating inside a small wooden cube. This design was rather large and not very smooth to use, so it was quickly redesigned into what we know as the common mechanical mouse of today. In a mechanical mouse a small rubber ball rolls along under the base of the mouse. As it rolls it rotates two tiny wheels that convert the physical movement into digital signals that are sent to the computer. The computer translates these signals into movement of the cursor across the screen. Mechanical mice tend to have one major drawback in that they eventually get dirty and must be partially disassembled in order to be cleaned. The dirt eventually builds up and restricts the movement of the rollers, causing the movement of the mouse to be incorrect on the screen. Let There Be Light: The Dawn Of The Optical Mouse Optical mice operate on the same basic principle as mechanical mice, but they get around the "gunk" problem by having no moving parts.
A beam of light from a small LED lamp is bounced off of the mousing surface. A small detector next to the LED senses the movement of the mouse against the table and again translates the information and sends it off to the computer. The only major drawback with optical mice is a tendency to not work well on shiny, reflective surfaces. If you commonly use a mouse pad then this is not a problem, but if you do not use a pad and instead mouse directly on a polished table top it can confuse the sensor of the optical mouse. Burn Baby Burn: Laser Mice Come of Age Laser mice are the latest evolution of the computer mouse, and work the same way the optical mouse does with the exception of the light source. In a laser mouse a small laser beam is reflected off the surface of the mouse pad instead of an LED. The accuracy of a laser mouse is very precise and can be of benefit to some users, especially avid gamers and graphic artists. For most individuals however, the added cost of a laser mouse is not really justified as a good quality optical mouse will do just fine.
