ABSTRACT
The notion of “pointing” at objects on the computer screen, using some form of pointing device, is central to the “direct manipulation” paradigm of contemporary computing. Rather than having to recall obscure commands or ambiguous file names, the user of a direct manipulation interface is able to look for and recognize the object or function that they are seeking (Shneiderman 1982). The purposes of this entry are to provide an overview of pointing devices and their performance.
