Printed from www.bltt.org
You are viewing the old version of this website. Visit the new site with updated content at www.charliedanger.com

Babymouse

This information relates to Babymouse version 2.5.

Babymouse is a program designed to restrict the features of a mouse. The name suggests that the program is designed for babies but really it is most useful for young children who are able to access a computer.

Features

Babymouse Settings DialogIt is primarily designed for use with online games and contains the following features:

  • Disable Right Mouse Button
  • Block Keyboard Keys including Windows Keys & Alt + Tab
  • Restrict mouse access to a custom area on the screen

These restrictions are not permanent – they are only active while Babymouse is running. Babymouse needs to be set up every time it is used. The current version will not automatically run restrictions when it is launched which means that it can not be added to a user’s start menu to disable the right mouse button without intervention.

Is it free?

The software claims to be available in a freeware version and a Pro version. However the freeware version is more or less an advertisement for the Pro version. The free version does allow the disabling of the right mouse button.

Possible uses

The benefits of disabling the right mouse button are obvious to anyone who work with young children in a classroom setting. The right button, whether intentionally used or not, brings up context menus which can lead a pupil away from their intended activities.

The ability to restrict mouse access to a custom area (similar to Clicker's 'Mouse Trapping') on the screen makes the software even more useful. Web-based activities and games can be used without the user accidentally or intentionally accessing other parts of the computer such as the Start Menu, desktop icons or Internet Explorer’s menus and back button.

The software will work with any pointing device, including rollerballs/trackballs, joysticks and headpointers.

Errors

Babymouse Error Message
During my testing I installed the software on two computers. On both computers the software (version 2.5) frequently crashed displaying a generic error message before Babymouse closed down. Although in each case I was able to continue using the computer the Babymouse features stopped working.

Related Links