Mouse

What is a "mouse"?
What is the pointer? the cursor? What is its relation to the mouse?
What is an icon? A menu?
What does "clicking", "doubleclicking", "tripleclicking", "rightclicking", "dragging", mean?
What's different on a Apple mouse?
Some mice have wheels. For what?
What different mouse types exist? What are advantages or disadvantages?
What substitutes for the mouse (in notebooks) exist?
Is there a way to avoid both mouse and mouse substitutes?