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The term X-Y Position Indicator was the original, technical name for the computer mouse. It accurately described the device's function: to track motion along the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) axes on a surface and translate that movement into a corresponding cursor position on a display screen.

Development of the X-Y Position Indicator

Inventor: The device was invented by Douglas Engelbart and his team at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the 1960s.

Original prototype: The first model, developed in 1964 with the help of engineer Bill English, was a hand-sized block of wood with two perpendicular wheels on the underside. These wheels rotated to generate signals indicating movement along the X and Y axes.

Patent: Engelbart filed a patent for the "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System" in 1967, and it was officially issued in 1970.