[Montgomery Scott]
“Hello, computer!”
[/Montgomery Scott]
I would scream and jump up on a stool, but have no idea why.
Actually, I can answer this question definitively.
My private primary (elementary) school had computer (“IT”) classes using BBC Micros ( BBC Micro - Wikipedia ) which used a simple text-based OS, no mouse involved.
At my next school, they’d moved on to Acorn Archimedes, which used the RISC OS, and supported a three-button mouse.
The first time I saw a mouse was in the IT teacher’s office, just sitting on his desk. I saw the connector and decided it didn’t go with a stereo or TV, so it must be for a computer. Eventually I caught on that it was some sort of “joystick replacement”.
ETA: This was in 1990 (that I “discovered” the mouse)
Tholean created. Used to capture starships.
I used to work with a guy who told me that when he got his first computer he thought you were supposed to touch the mouse to the screen and click. He’s may age (early 30s) so this must’ve been mid-80s. He was a working-class kid from NYC who turned into pretty sharp computer geek, my impression is that his parents bought the computer just for him to play with.
I don’t know what I would do/think. As far as I can remember, every computer I’ve ever used had a mouse, and it was actually the concept of a command line or otherwise giving instructions with the keyboard (you know, doing things other than typing) which had to be presented to me afterwards. Using a mouse was my default way of navigating through a computer!
Just to add to the scenario, my mouse is a wireless laser one (Logitech G7). I think it would be harder to figure that one out, since it doesn’t even have the “obvious” attach-to-a-computer cable.
In terms of markings, it has < and > on the two buttons, it has a scroll wheel, below that it has two buttons, one with a + and the other with a - on it, and a symbol of a running man. Near the thumb’s position, there is another button with a triangle (the “play” symbol from remote controls), and if it happens to be turned on, when you move it a series of lights turn on (first orange, a running man and a bar, and then 3 green bars and what looks like a battery in green). Underneath, it has the FCC/CE etc info, and “Gaming Grade Laser” around the laser and “batter cartridge” and an eject button for the battery. There’s also a power button.
The more I look at it, the weirder it becomes! Just seeing that alone, with or without the USB key, and having no knowledge of a computer mouse, I don’t know what I’d make of it!
Long string…
Heavy object on the end…
Perfect for swinging in a lasso and whacking your friends with!
Woot!
I’d post the description on ARPANET and wait for a reply.
Yeah, I don’t think I’d be able to figure out an optical mouse of any sort. If I saw one powered up, but unable to play with it to figure out it was a controller, I’d probably think it was some type of awkward UPC/barcode scanner (and would probably wonder at the ergonomics, or lack thereof, of a scanner like that). And seeing a sticker that said “gaming” like yours… no clue. Maybe it was an odd Lazer Tag device.