pointing device
<hardware> Any hardware component that allows a user to input spatial
data to a computer. CAD systems and Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) allow the
user to control and provide data to the computer using physical "gestures" -
point, click, and drag - typically by moving a hand-held mouse across the
surface of the physical desktop and activating switches on the mouse. Movements
of the pointing device are echoed on a graphical representation of a desktop on
the screen by movements of the mouse pointer and other visual changes.
While the most common pointing device by far is a mouse, other kinds include
tracker ball, trackpad, lightpen, various kinds of digitising tablets which use
a stylus, and even a special "data glove" that translates the user's movements
to computer gestures.
(1997-02-03)
Nearby terms:
pointed domain « pointer « pointer swizzling «
pointing device » pointing stick » Point Of
Contact » point of presence
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