So I like this MacOS feature where your cursor displays in large. I was hoping if anyone knew of such software that replicates this functionality for Linux. Considering MacOS and Linux are both Unix, and libraries are different, could X or Wayland help replicate this?
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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FWIW, this entire comment section:
https://lemmy.world/post/1940961?scrollToComments=true
Back to the to the topic, yes, Linux is not technically Unix by pedigree. In practice, it doesn't matter that it isn't and it wouldn't matter if it were, both for this issue in particular and for most others you are likely to encounter.
The actually relevant technology here is the graphics subsystem, and MacOS's Cocoa has always been radically different from anything else in the Unix/Linux space. There is no relation whatsoever to either X11 or Wayland. The only thing worth "porting" here is the basic idea. Which is pretty neat, though. Let's hope Apple hasn't patented it.
I feel like this was something back on windows 7 for some reason
If it was, I don't think it was a default. I had been using Windows 7 for quite a while back in the day, and I cannot remember ever seeing something like this. On the other hand, I can certainly remember losing track of where on my monitors my mouse cursor was on various occasions...
IIRC, the windows version of this is a setting where you can hit CTRL and it makes a moderately large circle that contracts towards the pointer. It's been in since at least W7/Vista, possibly XP. I've used it on and off for years (especially with 3 27" monitors) because of how easy it is to lose the cursor.
And that functionality is in Gnome, but disabled by default IIRC. I've had it on for years in both PopOS and Debian so I may be wrong but I do believe it's a Gnome feature.
It's within the accessibility features
I know Windows has the option to shake a window and all other windows get minimised. Nothing like shaking the mouse to find the cursor, though.
Quartz is the old macOS graphics framework, but the mouse shaking is probably just a cool show off feature of Core Animation. There’s uncontested Windows ports on GitHub, so I doubt Apple will throw any fits for Linux.