Dinosaur Sightings: First Russian computer mouse

By Bill Detwiler September 14, 2006, 6:16 AM PDT billdetwiler

Image
1
of 11

First Russian computer mouse

The first Russian computer mouse was used with the EC-1841 (IBM PC/XT compatible computer).

Sergei Frolov, a programmer and engineer from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, has compiled an extensive collection of Soviet calculators and computer accessories. He has graciously allowed us to reprint these photos of early Russian computer mice. You can see more of Sergei’s collection on his Soviet Calculators Collection Web site.

Metal track ball

The early variant has a metal ball.

According to the blog English Russia, the words printed on the bottom tranlate into “The Manipulator For Graphical Information”.

Another old Russian mouse

This is the second old mouse in Sergei’s collection.

"The mouse"

This classic input device has “The mouse” written on the top.

Russian mouse underside

This version no longer has a metal ball.

Inside the second mouse

This photo shows the mouse’s innerworkings.

Old (DVK-3 or DVK-4) Russian mouse - bottom

The underside of another old Russian mouse.

According to the blog English Russia, the red digits are a Soviet inventory number, that was used by govermental companies for better control of the equipment. There is a word “Price ____ (blank)” embossed into the plastic, that’s a post Soviet phenomena. During the Soviet era the price was embossed into plastic parts of practically every item being sold in the shop, because the goverment set up the price for each item.

Old (DVK-3 or DVK-4) Russian mouse - top

The left and right buttons on this mouse were labeled with and L and R.

Genius mouse clone - top

The last old mouse in Sergei’s collection, this is a clone of a Genius mouse.

Genius mouse clone and original

The original mouse and the clone

Genius mouse clone - bottom

The bottom of the Genius clone

By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.

Account Information

Contact Bill Detwiler

Your message has been sent
|
See all of Bill's content

Business intelligence and data analytics give tech decision makers a clearer idea of how well their companies are running and whether they’re meeting goals. Because BI incorporates data from across the enterprise — revenue operations, sales, supply chain and logistics — its insight is beneficial in areas such as customer profiling, customer support and market ...

Even for the smallest and most independent developers, creating a successful modern video game requires the coordination of designers, programmers, testers, artists, musicians, animators and a multitude of other talented personnel. Getting all these moving parts to work together, synchronize their production and do it on time and on budget is the role of the ...

Food stands as a fundamental necessity for human survival. Our bodies rely on the nutrients found in food that enable us to carry out our day-to-day activities and responsibilities. However, in our modern, fast-paced world, the convenience of readily available food is often prioritized, notwithstanding the expense of food safety due to potential contaminants. This ...