AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET - photo 1
AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET - photo 2
AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET - photo 3
AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET - photo 4
AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET - photo 5

AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET

Lot 29
10.09.2024 00:00UTC +01:00
Classic
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1279158
Lot 29 | AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET
Estimate value
$ 10 000 – 15 000
AN ENGELBART MOUSE AND CHORDED KEYSET
CYBERNEX, 1968
Serial number M026
Production version of Engelbart mouse, the three button mouse with metal wheels and braided cord with 9 pin connector, with a Cybernex coding keyset.

Landmark innovations in human-computer interaction.

The Engelbart mouse and chorded keyset, invented by Douglas Engelbart and his team at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the 1960s. These devices were central to Engelbart's vision of augmenting human intellect through interactive computing, significantly influencing the evolution of personal computing and user interface design.

The mouse, conceived in 1963 and patented in 1967, featured two perpendicular wheels for moving a cursor on a screen, offering a more natural interaction method than the keyboard. Concurrently, the chorded keyset, a 5-key device (permitting 21 key-press combinations), enabled rapid input of commands and text using key combinations, reducing cognitive load and improving interaction efficiency.

Both these devices were premiered at the famous ‘Mother of All Demos’ in 1968, where Engelbart debuted and demonstrated the practical applications of the mouse and keyset in a networked environment, highlighting capabilities such as hypertext, real-time collaborative editing, and video conferencing. The demo underscored their potential to revolutionize human-computer interaction and offered a glimpse into a new age of progression, where the power of computer design and products could advance business and personal development.

The mouse became a standard input device, shaping graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and influencing personal computing. Its adoption by Xerox PARC in the 1970s and later by Apple with the Macintosh in 1984 solidified its role in computing. Although the chorded keyset did not achieve widespread adoption, its influences remain relevant in specialized fields such as accessibility and ergonomics – the keyset remarkably allowing the user to continue to use mouse and keyset in tandem. Indeed, ultimately, these inventions transformed both the practical and conceptual aspects of computing, demonstrating how technology can augment human intellect and efficiency.
Mouse: 3 in. (7.6 cm.) high, 2 ¾ (7 cm.) wide, 4 in. (10.2 cm.) deep
Keyset: 1 ¼ in. (3.2 cm.) high, 5 in. (12.7 cm.) wide, 5 ½ in. (14 cm.) deep




Further details

This lot is subject to additional disclaimers. Please carefully review Section E(2), subsection (m) “Vintage Computers and Machines”.
Auction house category:All other types of objects, Instruments
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.09.2024 – 10.09.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>