<
operating system> A feature (usually of {Graphical User
Interfaces}) which causes the
mouse pointer to leave a
trail across the screen. This is done by keeping track of the
last eight or so (maybe configurable) pointer positions, and
only erasing the oldest. This means that at any time, there
may be up to eight pointers on the screen, but if the
mouse is
still, they will all be in the same position, and so only one
will be visible. When the
mouse moves, it appears to leave a
trail of pointers behind it, and this can dramatically
increase the visibility of the pointer when using
LCD
screens. The older ones had such long
persistence that a
single
mouse pointer, when moving, tended to be completely
invisible, and on a cluttered screen, was very difficult to
find.
(1996-07-08)