The inventor of the computer mouse, Doug Engelbart, has died at age 88. When I read the news of his death I began thinking about my childhood for some reason. I remember I used to spend weekends at a cousin's house, he had a Commodore Amiga and, with it, all the bells and whistles. I remember that when games were loaded we were not allowed to touch the mouse. The mouse was sensitive and served specific purposes, at least in terms of that computer.
I recall that I learned to respect the mouse as a result of what I was told that day by my cousin. Yes the mouse was simple, sensitive, and easy to use, but it seemed to signal that something better was on the horizon. I did not really think much about that until today. The mouse was one of those inventions that revolutionized an industry and created a necessity for a device that soon became part of almost every person's landscape.
It's sad to imagine that the inventor of the mouse did not really profit from his creation. I do feel that this is the kind of pioneer that should get highest praise because honestly, he was about change and not so much about what it could do to him. The mouse is now fading from view but it hasn't yet ceased to exist. I hope that people will make an effort to remember Engelbart as he was, a man of positive change.
