Comment on Why is the caret made, and why does it blink?
bstix@feddit.dk 1 year ago
It’s called a cursor.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursor_(user_interface)
Cursor is Latin for ‘runner’. A cursor is a name given to the transparent slide engraved with a hairline used to mark a point on a slide rule. The term was then transferred to computers through analogy
hikaru755@lemmy.world 1 year ago
“Caret” is also correct, and more specific, since “Cursor” can also mean the mouse cursor.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caret_navigation
bstix@feddit.dk 1 year ago
Yes , the link I provided also explains the etymology of “mouse”. In short, the invention of a free moving cursor was initially called a “bug”, but since the caret cursor was also called a “cat” they called it mouse. The first mouse pointers were operated by trackballs, so the physical device didn’t resemble a mouse until later.
executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de 11 months ago
bstix@feddit.dk 11 months ago
Never seen that used in this context, but I’m sure it has lots of names.
The original patent is on cursor though. patents.google.com/patent/US3531796