from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
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)