Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Mousepads have been a staple on desks for decades, but as mice have gotten better, they’ve become less necessary. You may not technically need one anymore, but you should still use a mouse pad.
When Mousepads Were Needed
The public debut of the mousepad occurred in 1968 during what has become known as “The Mother of All Demos.” It was used by Douglas Engelbart as he showed off some revolutionary computer hardware and software.
Of course, mousepads were created in response to computer mice. The first mouse used two wheels to track movement, but they quickly evolved to use trackballs instead. Mousepads were created to increase the friction of the ball in the mouse.
Without a rubberized mousepad, the trackballs could easily slip and not register movement as accurately. If you’ve ever used one of these ball-based mice without a mousepad, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about. A mousepad was very much needed.
Over time, trackballs were replaced by LEDs and photodiodes to detect movement. Those early light-based mice needed special mousepads with patterns to detect movement, but eventually that wasn’t…
Read Full Article Source
