This page is a work in progress.  It is an attempt by my to capture some of the key events, dates, and players that have helped drive the evolution of the range of input devices, technologies and techniques that we use today.  I have organized the page in chronological order.  And, be clear that my purpose here is to provide a brief overview, not a text book.  I am not trying to chronicle the full history; rather the key highlights.

Source: Extract from introducction

The main purpose of this study was to find out whether three students with multiple disabilities could increase their keyboard typing performance by poking the standard mouse scroll wheel with the newly developed Dynamic Typing Assistive Program (DTAP) and the built-in On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) computer software. The DTAP is a software solution that allows users to complete typing tasks with OSK software easily, quickly, and accurately by poking the mouse wheel.

We present a technique for scrolling through documents that is simple to implement and requires no special hardware. This is accomplished by simulating a hardware scroll ring--a device that maps circular finger motion into vertical scrolling. The technique performs at least as well as a mouse wheel for medium and long distances, and is preferred by users. It can be particularly useful in portable devices where screen-space and space for peripherals is at a premium.

As part of the redesign of the Microsoft mouse by Matrix Product Design, a series of user tests were performed by ID Two. We used artificial tasks representative of typical mouse use allowing repeated measures of time and error.

The initial questions were about the impact on performance and preference of different mouse shapes, asymmetric buttons and moving the ball from the back to the front.