April 12, 1999–You don’t have to be an experienced Mathematica user to appreciate the functionality of the cursor-tracking capability of Mathematica 4. In this age of high-resolution, multicolor computer display technology, temporarily losing track of your cursor’s position is a frequent occurrence. In particular, when navigating mathematical expressions that are more two-dimensional than linear in nature, the cursor can unexpectedly jump to a new position.

Fortunately, while working on the new Mathematica 4 notebook interface, Wolfram Research developers came up with a solution that minimizes the time, distraction, and eye fatigue currently involved in locating your cursor. Called the Cursor Tracker, this high-contrast indicator grabs the user’s attention as it appears temporarily enlarged over the cursor’s new position and then rapidly reduces in size to reveal the cursor itself.

Given the many possible applications of this new technology, Wolfram Research has filed a U.S. Patent Application for the Cursor Tracker.