The ubiquitous computer mouse has gone through quite a metamorphosis in the last few years. Some of us may even remember the days when the mouse had but one button, and housed a small rubber ball. This ball contacted two rollers that measured movement in two axes and fed this information to the computer, which translated it into pointer movement on the screen.

Today, of course, mice are even more high-tech. Gone is the rolling ball, replaced by a red light-emitting diode and a tiny camera. Yes, a camera. This camera takes 1,500 pictures every second of the surface the mouse is moving over. A digital signal processor, operating at 18 million instructions per second, detects patterns in the images taken by the camera and compares them, determining how far the mouse has moved. These optical mice have fewer moving parts (lower chance of failure), are more resistant to dirt, provide smoother tracking response, and don’t necessarily require a mouse pad. However, don’t try to use one on a glass or mirror surface.

Gone also are single button mice, replaced by multi-button mice with right buttons, left buttons, side buttons, scroll wheels, scroll wheels that are buttons, side buttons, scroll pads, and scroll balls. The last real refuge of the single-button mouse, Apple, just recently shipped (way past due, in my mind) its first multi-button mouse. Next thing you know they (Apple) will switch to Intel processors. But, I digress.

Anyway, these myriad buttons are programmable to perform just about any task your computer could otherwise accomplish with a keystroke or movement, or combination thereof. For example, if you do a lot of web surfing, you can make life easier by programming two of the buttons to act as the forward and back buttons on your browser, and use the scroll wheel to move up and down (or back and forth) on bigger-than-your-screen web pages. You could also program a button to close the open window your pointer is over, or even close the program altogether.

Some mice have even lost their “tails”. With either a Bluetooth or other wireless-based connection, you no longer need that pesky cord that just gets tangled and in-the-way. Beware, though. These wireless mice do need batteries that can (and will when your most need them) expire, leaving you with not much more than a multi-button doorjam.
So, why is it, with all this amazing technology at hand (sorry, but pun fully intended), people still have trouble clicking correctly? There are basically three kinds of clicking. Single-clicking, double-clicking, and (with multi-button mice) right-clicking.

On operating systems controlled by a graphical user interface, items like document files, applications (programs), and folders are represented by icons. To select these items (to move them around, for instance) you single-click them, which usually causes the icon to be highlighted to show it has been selected. To open the file or folder or start the application, you double-click the icon. Seems simple enough.

Operating systems also give users the ability to place icons of files, folders, and applications in areas where they can be opened with only one click, like the Windows Task Bar or the Mac’s Dock.

Where I see most people getting confused is when they’re using web browsers. The clickable links and buttons on web pages are meant to be clicked just once. Double-clicking a web page link can have a deleterious, if not costly, consequences. For example, double-clicking the “Order Now” button on a web page could get you two of what you wanted, at twice the price.

© 2005 Peter F. Zimowski