A cursor is an on‑screen position or focus indicator used in Graphical user interface and text interfaces to denote where input or actions will occur, typically as a blinking text insertion mark (caret) or as a pointer that tracks a pointing device. Standard dictionaries derive the term from Latin cursor, “runner,” and extend it to the visual cue on a video display. See Merriam‑Webster’s entries for cursor and caret for etymology and computing usage, respectively. Merriam‑Webster; Merriam‑Webster. (merriam-webster.com)

Terminology and types

• Text cursor (caret). In text editors and command‑line interfaces the insertion point is indicated by a caret, often rendered as a vertical bar, underscore, or block that may blink. The proofreading “caret” mark is the historical origin of the name. Merriam‑Webster. (merriam-webster.com)

• Pointer (mouse cursor). In GUIs the pointer is a graphical symbol (commonly an angled arrow) with a “hotspot” pixel that defines the click location. OS and API documentation describe explicit hotspot coordinates for cursors. For example, Win32 CreateCursor takes xHotSpot/yHotSpot parameters; related structures (CURSORSHAPE, ICONINFO) encode hotspot metadata. Microsoft Learn; Microsoft Learn; Microsoft Learn. (learn.microsoft.com)

History and standards (terminals)

Addressable, on‑screen cursors predate modern GUIs and were standardized for text terminals. DEC’s VT100 (introduced August 1978) popularized ANSI control sequences for cursor positioning and visibility, such as “CUP” (cursor position), “CUU/CUD/CUF/CUB” (move up/down/forward/back), and “DECTCEM” (show/hide cursor). Primary sources include DEC user and technical manuals; derivative control‑sequence compendia remain widely referenced. VT100 User Guide, vt100.net; VT100 Technical Manual, vt100.net; VT320 docs (CUP/CUU/etc.). (vt100.net)

The formal standard for terminal control functions is ECMA‑48 (also ISO/IEC 6429), which defines cursor movement and related control sequences used across terminals and emulators; ISO maintains the current edition and ECMA provides the corresponding family of character‑set standards. ISO/IEC 6429 standard page; ECMA overview, ECMA‑6 (notes link to ECMA‑48). (iso.org)

Cursor style in terminals is often controlled by the xterm/VT520 extension DECSCUSR (CSI Ps SP q), which selects block, underline, or vertical‑bar styles, blinking or steady. Xterm’s control‑sequence reference documents the mapping. Xterm Control Sequences. (invisible-island.net)

Implementation: software vs. hardware cursor

Display systems render pointers as either hardware cursors (a GPU overlay) or software cursors (drawn into the framebuffer). For example, X.Org display drivers offer HWCursor/SWCursor options and default to hardware cursors. X.Org SiS driver options. (x.org)

Operating‑system resources and file formats

Desktop systems ship standard cursor sets and accept custom cursor resources. Microsoft Windows supports .CUR (static) and .ANI (animated) formats and exposes APIs to load them (LoadCursorFromFile) or embed them as resources (CURSOR resource). Hotspot coordinates are part of the format and API usage. Microsoft Learn; Microsoft Learn. (learn.microsoft.com)

Web and application styling

On the web, the W3C’s World Wide Web Consortium CSS Basic User Interface Module defines the cursor property, including keyword cursors (pointer, wait, progress, text, resize variants, zoom) and custom image cursors with an optional hotspot. The spec also defines caret‑related properties (e.g., caret-color). Browser‑oriented documentation (MDN) mirrors the grammar and examples. W3C CSS UI Level 4; MDN: CSS cursor. (w3.org)

GUI behavior and affordances

Cursors convey affordances: a link usually shows a “pointer” hand; editable text shows an I‑beam; busy states use “wait” or “progress.” The CSS UI spec defines these values and user‑agent expectations; Apple’s user guides enumerate macOS pointer shapes such as I‑beam, open/closed hand, resize, alias, crosshair, and wait cursors. W3C CSS UI Level 4; Apple Support: Pointers in macOS. (w3.org)

Accessibility and customization

Major platforms expose settings to enlarge or enhance cursor visibility. Windows 11 provides a text‑cursor indicator and thickness controls under Accessibility settings; macOS allows increasing pointer size and uses discoverable shapes for common actions. Microsoft Support; Apple Support. (support.microsoft.com)

Command‑line and terminal editors

Many terminal emulators honor DECSCUSR for block/underline/bar cursor styles; terminal manuals document visibility toggles (e.g., DECTCEM) and movement sequences (CUP/CUU/CUD/CUF/CUB). VT320 documentation; Xterm Control Sequences. (vt100.net)

Databases and programming usage

Outside the UI sense, a database cursor is a control structure for iterating through result sets. SQL dialects expose DECLARE/OPEN/FETCH/CLOSE semantics; vendor documentation describes cursor types and behaviors. Examples include Oracle PL/SQL explicit cursors and Transact‑SQL DECLARE CURSOR with ISO and T‑SQL syntax. Oracle Database: Explicit Cursor Declaration; SQL Server: DECLARE CURSOR. (docs.oracle.com)

Platform examples

• Microsoft Windows APIs such as CreateCursor and LoadCursorFromFile demonstrate programmatic creation and loading of cursor images, including hotspot placement. Microsoft Learn; Microsoft Learn. (learn.microsoft.com)

• macOS documents common pointer shapes (I‑beam, hand, crosshair, alias, resize, wait) and how they map to interaction states. Apple Support. (support.apple.com)

• The X Window System and its toolkits distinguish hardware and software cursors and allow configuration (e.g., X.Org HWCursor/SWCursor options). X.Org. (x.org)

Standards summary

• Terminal control: ECMA‑48 / ISO/IEC 6429 (cursor movement/visibility) with widely implemented DEC/VT extensions (e.g., DECSCUSR). ISO/IEC 6429; Xterm Control Sequences. (iso.org)

• Web: CSS UI Level 4 cursor and caret properties, supplemented by implementer documentation (MDN). W3C CSS UI Level 4; MDN. (w3.org)

• OS APIs and resources: Windows cursor APIs and resource formats; hotspot semantics are explicit. Microsoft Learn; Microsoft Learn. (learn.microsoft.com)