Who invented mouse pointer

Why Is the Mouse Cursor Slanted? Mike Lannen Founder. Written Aug 23, Length 3 min read. Ask a question. Want to get notified of future posts? Tons of people around the world recognize the image of the mouse cursor. Some 50 years ago, the world's first mouse cursor was debuted by Douglas Engelbart. In that demonstration, Mr. Engelbart also debuted the graphical user interface, a means of navigating and using computers through a display. The mouse cursor was the digital finger that helped computer users utilized to make their way through computers.

At first, the cursor, which is also known widely as a "pointer," was nothing more than a tiny, tilted, black arrow. Today, most cursors feature a black outline inside which lies a white body or with a white outline which contains a black body.

Although it's not as popular as it used to be, some people make use of custom images and icons as mouse cursors. The cursor was originally an arrow pointing up. But on the low-resolution displays of the day, it was often difficult to make out a tiny vertical line on a screen, as you can see in the image below. The angle made the mouse pointer easier to pick out against the pixelated background.

Soon, Steve Jobs borrowed the left-leaning pointer software from Englebart, and then Bill Gates snagged it. Events Innovation Festival. Follow us:. By Carey Dunne 1 minute Read.