Mouse Basics

Windows 98 can support a one-button, two-button, or three-button mouse, or it can use a joystick or light pen to mimic a mouse. In the early days, Windows applications avoided the use of the second or third buttons in deference to users who had a one-button mouse. However, the two-button mouse has become the de facto standard, so the traditional reticence to use the second button is no longer justified. Indeed, the second button is now the standard for invoking a “context menu,” which is a menu that appears in a window outside the normal menu bar, or for special dragging operations. (Dragging will be explained shortly.) However, programs should not rely upon the presence of a two-button mouse.

In theory, you can determine if a mouse ...

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