<s>
In	O
human	O
–	O
computer	O
interaction	O
,	O
a	O
cursor	O
is	O
an	O
indicator	O
used	O
to	O
show	O
the	O
current	O
position	O
on	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
or	O
other	O
display	B-Device
device	I-Device
that	O
will	O
respond	O
to	O
text	O
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
November	O
1963	O
,	O
while	O
attending	O
a	O
conference	O
on	O
computer	O
graphics	O
in	O
Reno	O
,	O
Nevada	O
,	O
Douglas	O
Engelbart	O
of	O
Augmentation	O
Research	O
Center	O
(	O
ARC	O
)	O
first	O
expressed	O
his	O
thoughts	O
to	O
pursue	O
his	O
objective	O
of	O
developing	O
both	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
computer	O
technology	O
to	O
"	O
augment	O
"	O
human	O
intelligence	O
by	O
pondering	O
how	O
to	O
adapt	O
the	O
underlying	O
principles	O
of	O
the	O
planimeter	O
to	O
inputting	O
X	O
-	O
and	O
Y-coordinate	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
envisioned	O
something	O
like	O
the	O
cursor	O
of	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
he	O
initially	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
bug	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
3-point	O
"	O
form	O
,	O
could	O
have	O
a	O
"	O
drop	O
point	O
and	O
2	O
orthogonal	O
wheels	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
bug	O
"	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
easier	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
more	O
natural	O
"	O
to	O
use	O
,	O
and	O
unlike	O
a	O
stylus	B-Device
,	O
it	O
would	O
stay	O
still	O
when	O
let	O
go	O
,	O
which	O
meant	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
much	O
better	O
for	O
coordination	O
with	O
the	O
keyboard.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Roger	O
Bates	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
hardware	O
designer	O
at	O
ARC	O
under	O
Bill	O
English	O
,	O
the	O
cursor	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
was	O
for	O
some	O
unknown	O
reason	O
also	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
CAT	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
calling	O
the	O
new	O
pointing	B-Device
device	I-Device
a	O
"	O
mouse	B-Device
"	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
most	O
command-line	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
or	O
text	B-Application
editors	I-Application
,	O
the	O
text	O
cursor	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
caret	B-Application
,	O
is	O
an	O
underscore	O
,	O
a	O
solid	O
rectangle	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
vertical	O
line	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
flashing	O
or	O
steady	O
,	O
indicating	O
where	O
text	O
will	O
be	O
placed	O
when	O
entered	O
(	O
the	O
insertion	O
point	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
text	B-Application
mode	I-Application
displays	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
possible	O
to	O
show	O
a	O
vertical	O
bar	O
between	O
characters	O
to	O
show	O
where	O
the	O
new	O
text	O
would	O
be	O
inserted	B-Device
,	O
so	O
an	O
underscore	O
or	O
block	O
cursor	O
was	O
used	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
text	B-Application
editors	I-Application
and	O
word	B-General_Concept
processors	I-General_Concept
of	O
modern	O
design	O
on	O
bitmapped	O
displays	O
,	O
the	O
vertical	O
bar	O
is	O
typically	O
used	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
typical	O
text	B-Application
editing	I-Application
application	I-Application
,	O
the	O
cursor	O
can	O
be	O
moved	O
by	O
pressing	O
various	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
the	O
four	O
arrow	B-Device
keys	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Page	B-Device
Up	I-Device
and	I-Device
Page	I-Device
Down	I-Device
keys	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Home	B-Device
key	I-Device
,	O
the	O
End	B-Device
key	I-Device
,	O
and	O
various	O
key	O
combinations	O
involving	O
a	O
modifier	B-Device
key	I-Device
such	O
as	O
the	O
Control	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
position	O
of	O
the	O
cursor	O
also	O
may	O
be	O
changed	O
by	O
moving	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
pointer	B-Device
to	O
a	O
different	O
location	O
in	O
the	O
document	O
and	O
clicking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
interfaces	O
use	O
an	O
underscore	O
or	O
thin	O
vertical	O
bar	O
to	O
indicate	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
in	O
insert	B-Device
mode	I-Device
,	O
a	O
mode	B-General_Concept
where	O
text	O
will	O
be	O
inserted	B-Device
in	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
text	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
larger	O
block	O
to	O
indicate	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
in	O
overtype	B-Device
mode	I-Device
,	O
where	O
inserted	B-Device
text	O
will	O
overwrite	O
existing	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
the	O
cursor	O
may	O
split	O
into	O
two	O
parts	O
,	O
each	O
indicating	O
where	O
left-to-right	O
and	O
right-to-left	O
text	O
would	O
be	O
inserted	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
computing	O
,	O
a	O
pointer	B-Device
or	O
mouse	B-Device
pointer	B-Device
(	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
WIMP	B-Application
style	O
of	O
interaction	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
symbol	O
or	O
graphical	O
image	O
on	O
the	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
or	O
other	O
display	B-Device
device	I-Device
that	O
echoes	O
movements	O
of	O
the	O
pointing	B-Device
device	I-Device
,	O
commonly	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
,	O
touchpad	B-Application
,	O
or	O
stylus	B-Device
pen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
text-based	B-Application
or	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
to	O
select	B-General_Concept
and	O
move	O
other	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
distinct	O
from	O
the	O
cursor	O
,	O
which	O
responds	O
to	O
keyboard	B-Device
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cursor	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
repositioned	O
using	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pointer	B-Device
commonly	O
appears	O
as	O
an	O
angled	O
arrow	O
(	O
angled	O
because	O
historically	O
that	O
improved	O
appearance	O
on	O
low-resolution	O
screens	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
can	O
vary	O
within	O
different	O
programs	O
or	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
pointer	B-Device
is	O
employed	O
when	O
the	O
input	O
method	O
,	O
or	O
pointing	B-Device
device	I-Device
,	O
is	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
can	O
move	O
fluidly	O
across	O
a	O
screen	O
and	O
select	B-General_Concept
or	O
highlight	O
objects	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
GUIs	B-Application
where	O
the	O
input	O
method	O
relies	O
on	O
hard	O
keys	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
five-way	O
key	O
on	O
many	O
mobile	O
phones	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
pointer	B-Device
employed	O
,	O
and	O
instead	O
,	O
the	O
GUI	B-Application
relies	O
on	O
a	O
clear	O
focus	B-Application
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pointer	B-Device
echoes	O
movements	O
of	O
the	O
pointing	B-Device
device	I-Device
,	O
commonly	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
,	O
touchpad	B-Application
or	O
trackball	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
kind	O
of	O
pointer	B-Device
is	O
used	O
to	O
manipulate	O
elements	O
of	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
such	O
as	O
menus	O
,	O
buttons	O
,	O
scrollbars	O
or	O
any	O
other	O
widget	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pointer	B-Device
hotspot	O
is	O
the	O
active	O
pixel	O
of	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
,	O
used	O
to	O
target	O
a	O
click	O
or	O
drag	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hotspot	O
is	O
normally	O
along	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
edges	O
or	O
in	O
its	O
center	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
may	O
reside	O
at	O
any	O
location	O
in	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
GUIs	B-Application
,	O
moving	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
around	O
the	O
screen	O
may	O
reveal	O
other	O
screen	B-General_Concept
hotspots	I-General_Concept
as	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
changes	O
shape	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
circumstances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-the	O
text	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
select	B-General_Concept
or	O
edit	O
,	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
changes	O
to	O
a	O
vertical	O
bar	O
with	O
little	O
cross-bars	O
(	O
or	O
curved	O
serif-like	O
extensions	O
)	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
and	O
bottom	O
sometimes	O
called	O
an	O
"	O
I-beam	O
"	O
since	O
it	O
resembles	O
the	O
cross-section	O
of	O
the	O
construction	O
detail	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
displaying	O
a	O
document	O
,	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
can	O
appear	O
as	O
a	O
hand	O
with	O
all	O
fingers	O
extended	O
allowing	O
scrolling	O
by	O
"	O
pushing	O
"	O
the	O
displayed	O
page	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics-editing	O
pointers	B-Device
such	O
as	O
brushes	O
,	O
pencils	O
,	O
or	O
paint	O
buckets	O
may	O
display	O
when	O
the	O
user	O
edits	O
an	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
an	O
edge	O
or	O
corner	O
of	O
a	O
window	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
usually	O
changes	O
into	O
a	O
double	O
arrow	O
(	O
horizontal	O
,	O
vertical	O
,	O
or	O
diagonal	O
)	O
indicating	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
drag	O
the	O
edge/corner	O
in	O
an	O
indicated	O
direction	O
to	O
adjust	O
the	O
size	O
and	O
shape	O
of	O
the	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Fitts	B-General_Concept
's	I-General_Concept
law	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
predicts	O
the	O
time	O
it	O
takes	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
target	O
area	O
,	O
moving	O
mouse	B-Device
and	O
stylus	B-Device
pointers	B-Device
to	O
those	O
spots	O
is	O
easy	O
and	O
fast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
usually	O
stops	O
when	O
reaching	O
a	O
screen	O
edge	O
,	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
those	O
spots	O
can	O
be	O
considered	O
of	O
virtual	O
infinite	O
size	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
hot	B-General_Concept
corners	I-General_Concept
and	O
edges	O
can	O
be	O
reached	O
quickly	O
by	O
throwing	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
toward	O
the	O
edges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
a	O
computer	O
process	O
is	O
performing	O
tasks	O
and	O
cannot	O
accept	O
user	O
input	O
,	O
a	O
wait	O
pointer	B-Device
(	O
an	O
hourglass	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
before	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
many	O
other	O
systems	O
,	O
spinning	O
ring	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
later	O
,	O
watch	O
in	O
classic	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
OS	I-Application
,	O
or	O
spinning	B-Operating_System
pinwheel	I-Operating_System
in	O
macOS	B-Application
)	O
is	O
displayed	O
when	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
pointer	B-Device
is	O
in	O
the	O
corresponding	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
hovers	O
over	O
a	O
hyperlink	O
,	O
a	O
mouseover	O
event	O
changes	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
into	O
a	O
hand	O
with	O
an	O
outstretched	O
index	O
finger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
some	O
informative	O
text	O
about	O
the	O
link	O
may	O
pop	O
up	O
in	O
a	O
tooltip	O
,	O
which	O
disappears	O
when	O
the	O
user	O
moves	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
away	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tooltips	O
revealed	O
in	O
the	O
box	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
;	O
many	O
web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
will	O
display	O
the	O
"	O
title	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
element	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
alt	O
"	O
attribute	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
non-standard	O
"	O
tooltips	O
"	O
attribute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
pointer	B-Device
shape	O
was	O
first	O
used	O
for	O
hyperlinks	O
in	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
's	O
HyperCard	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
when	O
Windows	B-Application
Touch	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
the	O
mainstream	O
to	O
make	O
Windows	B-Application
more	O
touch-friendly	O
,	O
a	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
is	O
displayed	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
can	O
be	O
switched	O
off	O
in	O
Control	O
Panel	O
and	O
resembles	O
a	O
small	O
diamond	O
shape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
screen	O
is	O
touched	O
a	O
blue	O
ripple	O
appears	O
around	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
to	O
provide	O
visual	O
touch	O
feedback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
swiping	O
to	O
scroll	O
etc.	O
,	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
would	O
follow	O
the	O
finger	O
as	O
it	O
moves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
touch	O
and	O
hold	O
to	O
right-click	O
is	O
enabled	O
,	O
touching	O
and	O
holding	O
will	O
show	O
a	O
thick	O
white	O
ring	O
around	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
click	O
(	O
either	O
left	O
or	O
right	O
)	O
will	O
not	O
show	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
,	O
but	O
swiping	O
would	O
still	O
show	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
which	O
would	O
follow	O
the	O
pen	O
tip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
would	O
only	O
appear	O
on	O
the	O
desktop	O
once	O
a	O
user	O
has	O
signed	O
in	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
sign-in	O
screen	O
,	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
pointer	B-Device
would	O
simply	O
jump	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
touched	O
and	O
a	O
left	O
click	O
would	O
be	O
sent	O
on	O
a	O
tap	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
when	O
a	O
touch	O
input	O
is	O
used	O
on	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
before	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
above	O
,	O
visual	O
touch	O
feedback	O
displays	O
a	O
translucent	O
circle	O
where	O
the	O
finger	O
makes	O
contact	O
with	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
square	O
when	O
attempting	O
to	O
touch	O
and	O
hold	O
to	O
right-click	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Feedback	O
can	O
be	O
switched	O
on	O
and	O
off	O
in	O
Pen	O
and	O
Touch	O
settings	B-Application
of	O
the	O
Control	O
Panel	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
or	O
in	O
the	O
Settings	B-Application
app	O
on	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
feedback	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
made	O
darker	O
and	O
larger	O
where	O
it	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
emphasized	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
when	O
presenting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
touch	O
pointer	B-Device
is	O
normally	O
less	O
commonly	O
visible	O
in	O
touchscreen	O
environments	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
later	O
than	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mouse-over	O
or	O
hover	O
gesture	O
can	O
also	O
show	O
a	O
tooltip	O
,	O
which	O
presents	O
information	O
about	O
what	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
is	O
hovering	O
over	O
;	O
the	O
information	O
is	O
a	O
description	O
of	O
what	O
selecting	O
an	O
active	O
element	O
is	O
for	O
or	O
what	O
it	O
will	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
I-beam	O
pointer	B-Device
(	O
also	O
called	O
the	O
I-cursor	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
cursor	O
shaped	O
like	O
a	O
serifed	O
capital	O
letter	O
"	O
I	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
purpose	O
of	O
this	O
cursor	O
is	O
to	O
indicate	O
that	O
the	O
text	O
beneath	O
the	O
cursor	O
can	O
be	O
highlighted	O
and	O
sometimes	O
inserted	B-Device
or	O
changed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointer	B-Device
trails	O
are	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
GUI	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
to	O
enhance	O
the	O
visibility	O
of	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
disabled	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
pointer	B-Device
trails	O
have	O
been	O
an	O
option	O
in	O
every	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
since	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1x	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
pointer	B-Device
trails	O
are	O
active	O
and	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
or	O
stylus	B-Device
is	O
moved	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
waits	O
a	O
moment	O
before	O
removing	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
image	O
from	O
the	O
old	O
location	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
persists	O
at	O
every	O
point	O
that	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
has	O
visited	O
at	O
that	O
moment	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
snake-like	O
trail	O
of	O
pointer	B-Device
icons	O
that	O
follow	O
the	O
actual	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
user	O
stops	O
moving	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
or	O
removes	O
the	O
stylus	B-Device
from	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
the	O
trails	O
disappear	O
and	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
returns	O
to	O
normal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pointer	B-Device
trails	O
have	O
been	O
provided	O
as	O
a	O
feature	O
mainly	O
for	O
users	O
with	O
poor	O
vision	O
and	O
for	O
screens	O
where	O
low	O
visibility	O
may	O
become	O
an	O
issue	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
LCD	B-Device
screens	I-Device
in	O
bright	O
sunlight	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
pointer	B-Device
trails	O
may	O
be	O
enabled	O
in	O
the	O
Control	O
Panel	O
,	O
usually	O
under	O
the	O
Mouse	B-Device
applet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Introduced	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
an	O
animated	O
pointer	B-Device
was	O
a	O
small	O
looping	O
animation	O
that	O
was	O
played	O
at	O
the	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
pointer	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
their	O
introduction	O
,	O
many	O
animated	O
pointers	B-Device
became	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
from	O
third	O
party	O
suppliers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unfortunately	O
,	O
animated	O
pointers	B-Device
are	O
not	O
without	O
their	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
imposing	O
a	O
small	O
additional	O
load	O
on	O
the	O
CPU	O
,	O
the	O
animated	O
pointer	B-Device
routines	O
did	O
introduce	O
a	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
exploit	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Animated	O
Cursor	O
Remote	O
Code	O
Execution	O
Vulnerability	O
used	O
a	O
buffer	B-General_Concept
overflow	I-General_Concept
vulnerability	O
to	O
load	O
malicious	O
code	O
via	O
the	O
animated	O
cursor	O
load	O
routine	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blender	B-Application
,	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
uses	O
a	O
3D	O
cursor	O
to	O
determine	O
where	O
operations	O
such	O
as	O
placing	O
meshes	B-Algorithm
are	O
to	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
3D	O
viewport	O
.	O
</s>
