Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Mouse Systems
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Multiple issues|{{refimprove|date=June 2012}} {{Original research|date=September 2008}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020|cs1-dates=y}} {{Use list-defined references|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox company | name = Mouse Systems Corporation | logo = File:Mouse Systems logo.svg | type = Private | industry = Computer peripherals | former_name = Rodent Associates | founded = {{Start date and age|1982}} in [[Fremont, California]] | founder = [[Steve Kirsch]] | defunct = {{End date|1990}} | fate = Acquired by [[KYE Systems]] | products = Computer mice | num_employees = | num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) --> }} '''Mouse Systems Corporation''' ('''MSC'''), formerly '''Rodent Associates''', was founded in 1982 by [[Steve Kirsch]].<ref name="Markoff_19820510"/><ref name="Markoff_19820517"/> The company was responsible for bringing the [[Computer mouse|mouse]] to the [[IBM PC]] for the first time. ==History== Mouse Systems' optical mouse, wired to a [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] [[workstation]] and an [[Atari 400]] running ''[[Missile Command]]'', attracted many observers at the October, 1982 Mini/Micro '82 conference in [[Anaheim, California]], attended by over {{val|10000}} people—and won a "best new product" award.<ref name="Mace_19821011"/> In 1984, MSC acquired rights to Mouse Draw from Microtex Industries, written by Doug Wolfgram. Mouse Systems wanted the software re-developed to look more like [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[MacPaint]] so Wolfgram brought in co-developer [[John Bridges (software developer)|John Bridges]] and together they re-wrote the program in C with an updated user interface and called it [[PCPaint]]. Millions of copies were shipped, primarily bundled with all their mice until 1987. [[KYE Systems]], producer of the [[Genius mouse|Genius]] brand of mice, acquired Mouse Systems in 1990. ==Technical details== {{multiple image | image1=Sun optical mouse.jpg | caption1=Mouse from a Sun workstation manufactured by Mouse Systems on its mousepad | image2=Mouse-Systems-Mousepad-Detail.jpg | caption2=Grid detail of mousepad }} Like all early optical mice, their debut product relied on a special metallic and reflective [[mousepad]] printed with a square grid of grey and blue tracking lines: as the device moved over the pad, light emitted by an [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] was reflected by the pad onto an array of sensors whose output was processed by an on-board [[integrated circuit|controller]], which in turn supplied the host computer with machine-readable tracking data via an [[RS-232]] [[serial communication|serial]] port. When connected to a regular RS-232 port, an external [[power supply]] was required. Some mice would derive their power supply from the keyboard connector on the motherboard and came with a pass-through connector to be inserted before the keyboard cable. Early Sun workstations used MSC optical mice exclusively. The mouse was connected via a dedicated connector with power, obviating the need for a separate power supply for the mouse. Initial models came with large mousepads with well-spaced lines, while later models were smaller and used a much tighter grid. ==See also== * [[Mouse Systems ProAgio]] * [[Optical mouse]] == References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Markoff_19820510">{{cite news |title=Computer mice are scurrying out of R&D labs |newspaper=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=4 |issue=18 |publisher=[[Popular Computing, Inc.]] |date=1982-05-10 |author-last=Markoff |author-first=John Gregory |author-link=John Gregory Markoff |location=Berkeley, CA, USA |issn=0199-6649 |pages=10–11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 |access-date=2015-08-26 }}</ref> <ref name="Markoff_19820517">{{cite news |title=Rodent Associates make computer mice |newspaper=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=4 |issue=19 |publisher=[[Popular Computing, Inc.]] |date=1982-05-17 |author-last=Markoff |author-first=John Gregory |author-link=John Gregory Markoff |location=Sunnyvale, CA, USA |issn=0199-6649 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bzAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12 |access-date=2015-08-26 }}</ref> <ref name="Mace_19821011">{{cite news |title=Speech tech, mice draw crowds at Mini/Micro 82 |author-first=Scott |author-last=Mace |location=Anaheim, CA, USA |newspaper=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=4 |issue=40 |publisher=[[Popular Computing, Inc.]] |date=1982-10-11 |issn=0199-6649 |pages=1, 6–7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=2020-02-07 }}</ref> }} ==Further reading== * {{cite web |title=Re: [fd-dev] ANNOUNCE: CuteMouse 2.0 alpha 1 |author-first=Matthias R. |author-last=Paul |work=freedos-dev |date=2002-04-06 |url=https://marc.info/?l=freedos-dev&m=101807226917577 |access-date=2020-02-07 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207130948/https://marc.info/?l=freedos-dev&m=101807226917577&w=2 |archive-date=2020-02-07 |quote=[…] The original Mouse Systems [[Bus Mouse]] is a normal serial [[8250 UART|8250]] compatible mouse using the normal Mouse Systems serial protocol, however the base address of this 8250 type chip is not one of the usual [[COM port]] addresses 3F8h, 2F8h, 3E8h, or 2E8h, but either 238h or 338h. Besides others these addresses are also supported as alternative addresses for serial ports on the German [[c't]] UniRAM add-on [[ISA card]]. […] Bus mice from other vendors use completely different interfaces, partially residing at the same [[I/O address]]es […]}} ==External links== {{commons category|Mouse Systems}} * {{cite web |publisher=[[KYE Systems]] |title=Milestones |url=http://www.geniusnet.com.tw/about/milestones.htm |access-date=2006-05-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516034049/http://www.geniusnet.com.tw/about/milestones.htm |archive-date=2006-05-16 |quote=1990 Acquired Mouse Systems Corp. (MSC)}} [[Category:1990 mergers and acquisitions]] [[Category:American companies established in 1982]] [[Category:American companies disestablished in 1990]] [[Category:Computer companies established in 1982]] [[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 1990]] [[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]] [[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]] {{tech-company-stub}}
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Commons category
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox company
(
edit
)
Template:Main other
(
edit
)
Template:Multiple image
(
edit
)
Template:Multiple issues
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:Sister project
(
edit
)
Template:Tech-company-stub
(
edit
)
Template:Template other
(
edit
)
Template:Use dmy dates
(
edit
)
Template:Use list-defined references
(
edit
)
Template:Val
(
edit
)