![]() Courtesy of SRI International and the Doug Engelbart Institute Engelbart thought computers could help us communicate and collaborate - a total departure from how most engineers thought of computers in the 1950s, which was just as giant calculators. The virtuosity and discipline required for Engelbart’s mouse and keyset illustrate his larger ideas about what computers had the potential to do. But for Engelbart, ease of use wasn’t the top priority. He wanted the computer inputs to be as powerful possible, and that required some complexity. He imagined that consumers would learn how to use the mouse and keyset slowly over time, like how one learns to operate a car. Courtesy of SRI International and the Doug Engelbart InstituteĮven Doug Engelbart realized that learning the keyset was difficult. Learning to type would take a lot of practice, but Engelbart believed that with lots of repetition, the muscle memory would take over. The five-button keyset could produce all 26 letters by memorizing combinations of these keys used together. ![]() Not satisfied merely pointing and clicking, Engelbart imagined that his mouse would be used in combination with a keyset to execute all kinds of commands that today are difficult to imagine doing without a keyboard. Engelbart quickly added two more buttons. Courtesy of SRI International and the Doug Engelbart InstituteĮngelbart’s first mouse was a block of wood about the size of three decks of cards stacked on top of each other. It pivoted atop a metal wheel, and had three buttons. Doug Engelbart with a three-button mouse and keyset. Engelbart was also the person who invented the mouse. ![]() Courtesy of SRI International and the Doug Engelbart Instituteĭoug Engelbart invented the keyset in the 1960s. The keyboard, thus, would be secondary - perhaps even irrelevant - meaning users could keep their eyes the screen, and not glance down at their fingers. Used in tandem with a mouse (specifically, a three-button mouse), the keyset enabled the user to type out all the characters of the alphabet, and execute shortcut commands. With the mouse in your right hand, the keyset would occupy your left hand. A “keyset.” Courtesy of SRI International and the Doug Engelbart InstituteĪ device called a “keyset” could help us navigate virtual environments without moving your hands back and forth. ![]() As you work on the computer, your right hand moves back and forth from keyboard to mouse. You can’t do everything you need to do on a computer without constantly moving between input devices. To the left of that mouse (or above, if you’re on a laptop) is your keyboard. If you are looking at a computer screen, your right hand is probably resting on a mouse. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |