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The Mice That Didn't Make It

Posted by timothy on from the does-anything-beat-a-logitech-marble-mouse? dept.

Harry writes "For every blockbuster of the mouse world (such as Microsoft and Logitech's big sellers) there have been countless mice that flopped, or never made it to market. Mice shaped like pyramids; mice shaped like Mickey; mice that doubled as numeric keypads or phones. Even one that sat on your steering wheel. I've rounded up some evocative patent drawings on twenty notable examples."

13 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. Not Reading It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm not reading this article because it's on 20 different pages. STOP THAT SHIT.

    1. Re:Not Reading It by AlHunt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >There really needs to be some way to administer a small electric shock to both the submitter and the editor

      Why "small"? I say give'em a Dr Emmett Brown 1.21 jiggowatt sized shock.

      --
      1 in 4 Maine children in struggle with hunger.
    2. Re:Not Reading It by Nicolay77 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I love to read in a lot of different media. I can enjoy reading a novel in a web browser without any problem at all. I have done it.

      However, for every user like me there are thousands who cry: 'Wall of text!' everytime they encounter some text that's more than 10 lines long.

      So, complain to these lazy users that can't read, instead of complaining to the webmasters. The webmasters are simply doing what the masses ask.

      Also, the game.

      --
      We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
    3. Re:Not Reading It by geekoid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It does not solve the problem. It works around it.
      Unless it ahs an option to slap the developer in the back of the head.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    4. Re:Not Reading It by iYk6 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      An interesting theory, but no. Webmasters do it to increase ad views.

    5. Re:Not Reading It by hobo+sapiens · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No! Wrong, all of you!

      If it takes that much effort to read what is essentially a fluff piece, I for one will not read it. Not preloading the pages in different tabs, not clicking next 20 times. Stupid web developers. grumble grumble. No sense of usability. grumble grumble grumble.

      --
      blah blah blah
  2. Split article by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And it's split across 24 different pages. ... now where are all of the slashdotters who were arguing with me about ad-supported content last night? :)

  3. Next.. Next.. Next... by rihkama · · Score: 4, Insightful

    20 pages for 20 smallish pictures? Really? The site must be desperate for ad revenue.

  4. Article that didn't make it by syousef · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Spread across 24 pages and about as interesting as a dry dog turd. When you submit to slashdot and it gets rejected then some story about loser designs that didn't make it for good reason winds up as front page news it's quite an insult. What's the next article going to be about? Drug addicts that didn't make it to CEO of large tech companies? How about abacus designs that didn't sell? Not inane enough for you? Let's try pocket protector manufacturers that went broke.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  5. Slow news day? by geekoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For every blockbuster of the X world there have been countless X that flopped, or never made it to market.

    No. Shit.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  6. Re:He forgot one by Chyeld · · Score: 4, Insightful

    On a system designed with it in mind, yes it was. I'm possibly a rare individual who grew up starting with an Atari ST (two buttoned mice that were made out of bricks it seemed), moved on to a Mac (the famous ACB one button mouse), and then to the PC (cheap as shit multi-button mice).

    While having more buttons in the Windows world was definately a must, back in the System 7 days and before, having one button was not an issue and given most PC mice in the day were made of plastic that felt as if it would shatter if sneezed at forcefully, having a mouse that had 'heft' meant I actually felt as if I had better control on those rare few games that were worth playing than I did on the PC games that came later.

  7. Next worst thing to lack by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

    My biggest complaint is where there is a complete lack of a "printer-friendly" option.

    Do you also complain when a web site makes printer-friendly versions of its articles available at a low, low price per month?

  8. Re:uhh by ZERO1ZERO · · Score: 2, Insightful
    We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes ,
    But the plural of ox is oxen , not "oxes"
    Then one fowl is a goose and two are geese ,
    Yet the plural of moose would never be "meese,"

    You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice ,
    But the plural of house is houses , not "hice."
    If the plural of man is always men ,
    Why shouldnt the plural of pan be "pen"?

    Cow in the plural may be cows or kine .
    But the plural of vow is vows , not "vine."
    I speak of a foot and you show me your feet .
    I give you a boot ; would you call a pair "beet"?

    If the singular is tooth and the plural teeth ,
    Why shouldnt the plural of booth be "beeth"?
    If the singular is this, and the plural is these ,
    Should the plural of kiss rightly be "keese"?

    Then, with ONE you use that and with THREE, those ,
    Yet the plural of hat is never called "hose."
    We speak of a brother and also of brethren ;
    But though we say mother , we never say "methren."

    The masculine pronouns are he, his and him ,
    But imagine the feminine as she , "shis," and "shim."
    So English, I think -- and you must agree
    Is a language as queer as any youll see.