A computer mouse is an input device that is most often used with a personal computer. Moving a mouse along a flat surface can move the on-screen cursor to different items on the screen. Before you can begin to use the mouse, it must be connected correctly to the computer and working. Once the mouse is connected to your computer, you can begin to familiarize yourself with its functions. Today's computer mouse consists of two buttons and a mouse wheel, as depicted above. By default, the left button acts as the left-click and is the default mouse button you use for most actions on the mouse. The right mouse button performs the right-click and gives you a menu or other options that are explained later.
Touchpad versus Mouse
A touchpad (also called a trackpad) is a type of input device for computers that does the same things as a computer mouse. It is made up of a flat, touch-sensitive surface which the user slides one or more fingers on to move the cursor on the screen. Next to the touchpad are push-buttons that work just like mouse buttons, including left-clicking and right-clicking. In some newer touchpads, there are no actual buttons, and clicking is done by pushing near the button of the touchpad itself.
There are pros and cons for both touchpads and computer mouses. A huge advantage of using the touchpad over the mouse is that the touchpad is built into the laptop, so you never have to remember to bring a mouse. It’s always there for you. There is no need to plug anything in, as it is instantly available as soon as you boot up your laptop. With the touchpad, you get the same functionality of a mouse, without the hassle of carrying or plugging in a mouse. The touchpad can be a bit sensitive, making it difficult to get the mouse to go where you want it to go. It’s definitely harder to control the cursor than when using a mouse, because you can accidentally touch the touchpad with the palm of your hand. If you do this, your cursor may jump to a different part of the screen without you even realizing it. An advantage of using a mouse is you can take it with you and use it on different computers. Along with this, scrolling up and down using the mouse wheel is a lot easier and faster, especially when reading or editing a document, or when reading an article such as this on the internet! A disadvantage of using a mouse though is it requires a flat surface to function, and optical mice do not work on glass, should you have glass covering your computer desk.