Mouse

If you bought a pc in early 1980s, a keyboard would probably have been the only input device that came with it. today, all new PC, come with a pointing devices as standard equipment. If the computer is a desktop or tower model, the pointing device is usually a mouse. A mouse is an input device that rolls around on a flat surface and controls the pointer. The pointer is an on-screen object, usually an arrow, that is used t select  text; access menus; and interact  with programs, files, or data that appears on the screen.

            The mouse first gained widespread recognition when it was packaged with the Apple Macintosh computer  in 1984. Initially, some  users scoffed at this simple tool, but it  quickly became apparent that the mouse is convenient for certain types of input. For example, a mouse lets you position the cursor anywhere on the screen quickly and easily without having to use the cursor- movement keys. you simply move the pointer to the on-screen position you want, press the mouse button, and the cursor appears at the preselected position.

              The advantages of the mouse are so numerous that it changed the entire personal computing industry. Although the Macintosh operating system was the first widely available system to take advantage of the mouse , the tool's popularity grew rapidly. By the late 1980's. IBM - compatible PCs were quickly adopting the mouse as a secondary input device.

                   Instead of forcing you to type or issue commands from the keyboard, the mouse and mouse based operating system let you choose commands from easy to use menus and dialog boxes. The result is a much more intuitive way to use computers. Instead of remembering obscure command names, users can figure out where commands and options are located.

                      A mouse also allows you to create graphics such as lines, curves and freehand shapes, on the screen. with this new capability , the mouse helped establish the computer as a versatile tool for graphic designers, starting what has since become a revolution in the graphic design field.