Mouse, Mouses, Mice.

[protokatie]

Ok. We all know what a computer mouse is, but it seems the plural for the computer mouse has changed.

For those who are not in the know: It was voted on by "professionals" in the 1980's that since the term "mouse" was only a label for the computer mouse that the proper plural convention be used (IE "Mouses"). But lately I have seen "Mice" being used more and more often. I have even seen people (not on this forum, but elsewhere) "correcting" people on the use of "Mouses" and saying they should use "Mice" as the plural for a computer mouse.

I will always use "Mouses" when refering to a computer mouse in plural; I am old school. But what are your opinions on this?

Is the word "mouse" only a label? Or should it be considered to be equivalent in grammar to the same word used for the animal when in plural?

[shmokes]

Mice is correct both for the rodent and the HID.  It always has been.  I don't know who this group of "professionals" is that you speak of, but I think this is something someone just told you and you took it as the truth.

For the record, Webster's Dictionary says that the plural is mice in all instances.  Logitech and Microsoft (together responsible for the production of probably 80+ percent of the world's computer mice) both refer to them as mice. 

Its name is not a coincidence, after all.  It's called a mouse because it physically resembles the rodent.  That being the case, why would it cease to be named after the rodent simply because you are talking about more than one?  It makes no sense.

Mice is correct.

edit: of course, if you call it mouses long enough, and enough people follow suit, you can always change the dictionary.

[protokatie]

Mice is correct.

Debatable. The source I had was from an article in compute gazette when I was a kid (late 1980's) refering to the naming of the device in question. Since that article, and the reasonings behind it, I have heard most "old school" computer people pluralize "mouse" and "mouses".

Then again, we all get info from different sources. This is why this is a poll.


edit:

edit: of course, if you call it mouses long enough, and enough people follow suit, you can always change the dictionary.

Odd that you bring that up, as my origonal question was about mouses being changed to mice. 

Different strokes, I guess. (Also, different areas and groups of people...)

[shmokes]

As a network admin I've run into many people who were confronted with using the plural for the first time, and it's VERY common for them to hesitate and sheepishly say, "Is it mice? or mouses?"  If you ask me, that's where the old school thing comes from.  I don't know if you can call me old school or not.  My first computer was a 286.  I had friends who had others like the Atari ST and Commodore, but DOS was my first real OS.  edit: I just read over this last paragraph and it isn't very cohesive.  Sorry. 

Frankly, in addition to thinking that mice actually is correct (how can you argue with Logitech?), I think it should be correct.  Why invent a new plural word for it, when a perfectly good (and far less clumsy) plural already exists?  For starters, it's confusing.  Second, as I mentioned above, it's named after the rodent.  Why would the plural cease to be named after the rodent?  It's nonsensical.  Third, "mice" just sounds a lot better than "mouses".  When you say, "mouses," you sound like an imbecile, just like if you saw a bunch of gooses.  It just sounds dumb.  It sounds jarringly incorrect, even to people with very little grammatical wherewithal like small children.  Everybody knows what the plural to "mouse" is, you know what I mean?

[protokatie]

As a network admin I've run into many people who were confronted with using the plural for the first time, and it's VERY common for them to hesitate and sheepishly say, "Is it mice? or mouses?"  If you ask me, that's where the old school thing comes from.  I don't know if you can call me old school or not.  My first computer was a 286.  I had friends who had others like the Atari ST and Commodore, but DOS was my first real OS.  edit: I just read over this last paragraph and it isn't very cohesive.  Sorry. 

Frankly, in addition to thinking that mice actually is correct (how can you argue with Logitech?), I think it should be correct.  Why invent a new plural word for it, when a perfectly good (and far less clumsy) plural already exists?  For starters, it's confusing.  Second, as I mentioned above, it's named after the rodent.  Why would the plural cease to be named after the rodent?  It's nonsensical.  Third, "mice" just sounds a lot better than "mouses".  When you say, "mouses," you sound like an imbecile, just like if you saw a bunch of gooses.  It just sounds dumb.  It sounds jarringly incorrect, even to people with very little grammatical wherewithal like small children.  Everybody knows what the plural to "mouse" is, you know what I mean?

Wow, we are really bumping off of each other... (I personally don't care what you call a gaggle of mices )
I was just wondering what people considered the proper term. BTW, I was a C64 initiate, so that may have to do with my choice of wording for the plural. Also, I don't find the word "mouses" to be imbecilic. Its just a word to me. (A word I differentiate from the animal's plural).

Schmokes, dont take this poll too seriously, please... (It really is just a poll after all, and we dont have to worry about McMouses getting elected  )

[Namco]

Without a doubt they're mice. After 25 years of the world calling them mice, I'd think that mice is now correct even if it was once believed to be mouses. It's kinda like copyright law's public use exception, where you can't copyright something that's already in use by the public (the real name of which I can't think of right now because it's 3 in the morning.  )

[DaveMMR]

From the Merriam-Webster entry for "Mouse":

4  plural also mous·es : a small mobile manual device that controls movement of the cursor and selection of functions on a computer display

Both methods of pluralizing are grammatically correct when referring to the computer peripheral.

[Ginsu Victim]

I've never heard ANYONE use the term MOUSES until today.

[Daniel270]

Everyone could always go the route of Pixie, Dixie and especially Jinks... those miserable Meeces! lol

[protokatie]

Everyone could always go the route of Pixie, Dixie and especially Jinks... those miserable Meeces! lol

I hate Meeces to pieces! 

[bishmasterb]

I think this thread demonstrates the fact that computer "professionals" should not be deciding English grammar.

[patrickl]

The only grammar error in computer terminology that annoys the hell out of me is the kilo (1000) vs kibi (1024) confusion. Whoever decided to take 1024 as the value for "kilo" should be fed to the "mouses".

[dmworking247]

I'm going to (partially)  back protokatie up here..

I've always understood the 'correct' plural for a computer 'mouse' is mouses.  I cannot remember the source, but it was late 80s/early 90s when I was corrected several times about this.

protokatie, out of interest... what country are you from? Perhaps its a US/non-US thing?

Even though I recall 'mouses' being correct, I actually think its stupid and to this day 'mice' seems to come more naturally.

Also I wouldn't judge any 'correct' grammar based on 'what kids say today'... I've lost count of how many words have been mutilated the last and current generation of teenagers. Don't get me started on my daughters language.

[Samstag]

The only grammar error in computer terminology that annoys the hell out of me is the kilo (1000) vs kibi (1024) confusion. Whoever decided to take 1024 as the value for "kilo" should be fed to the "mouses".

There's an official clarification to put this argument to rest:

[protokatie]

The only grammar error in computer terminology that annoys the hell out of me is the kilo (1000) vs kibi (1024) confusion. Whoever decided to take 1024 as the value for "kilo" should be fed to the "mouses".

Patrick, to be quite fair; back in the olde days of ye olde computer, 1024 bytes was a lot of memory. 1024 = 2^10, and since it was close to 1000, they decided to use conventional base 10 (Ten, not two, which is 10 in binary) prefixes for the number.

I am personally a promoter in the "Kilo = 1024" rule for computers. I can think numbers in binary, so it makes sense to me.

The problem I have is with storage, where they use 1000 instead of 1024. So my 80 GB HD doesnt have as much space as I expect because they define a Kilobyte as 1024 bytes, but define a megabyte as 1000*1024 bytes (A GB to them is 1000*1000*1024 bytes, as opposed to 1024*1024*1024 bytes). I wrote my first lines of code as a kid in the 80's. I expect Kilo (with respect to computers) to be 1024.

[NiN^_^NiN]

They were using mouse in MS Dos days before windows people probably started using mouses thinking you could use more than 1

I myself always use mouse never used mice never heard anyone use it

[shmokes]

They were using mouse in MS Dos days before windows people probably started using mouses thinking you could use more than 1

I myself always use mouse never used mice never heard anyone use it

Please tell me you were drunk when you wrote that . . .

[danny_galaga]

 wheres the 'meece' option?

[protokatie]

wheres the 'meece' option?

In a vote of 1 to zero it is concluded that the plural of mouse is in fact "meece"

Matter settled.

[CheffoJeffo]

I am personally a promoter in the "Kilo = 1024" rule for computers. I can think numbers in binary, so it makes sense to me.

But 'kilo' was already well established as 1000 for many units of measurement, so a different prefix (say, kibi) would have been more appropriate.

But, some group of tech weenies got together and decided that we should use kilo, without understanding the confusion that would ultimately cause and the ridiculous disclaimers that would spew forth as a result. This same group was responsible for insisting that the plural of 'mouse' was 'mouses' and arguing passionately that the plural of 'virus' was either 'virii' or 'viruses', depending on what was more contrary.

And I am down with 'meece'.

 

EDIT: for typo

[NiN^_^NiN]

They were using mouse in MS Dos days before windows people probably started using mouses thinking you could use more than 1

I myself always use mouse never used mice never heard anyone use it

Please tell me you were drunk when you wrote that . . .

Wait...What.....

[protokatie]

They were using mouse in MS Dos days before windows people probably started using mouses thinking you could use more than 1

I myself always use mouse never used mice never heard anyone use it

Please tell me you were drunk when you wrote that . . .

Wait...What.....

* protokatie hands you a beer to help you sober up.

To be quite honest, what you wrote wasn't very cohesive.