I think you forgot typewriters, which begat teletypes, which begat keyboards, which... you get the idea.

For me, trackpads are closer to the ideal of direct manipulation than mice, though not as good as direct manipulation on a phone or tablet.

Who knows? Maybe in the near future we'll get eyetracking or some such.

Just don't glance up accidentally, or we'll start getting other articles like this one... (grin)