[buug] Bigger pointer / mouse cursor in KDE ...

[Michael Paoli]

Question was brought up at the BUUG meeting about configuring a larger /
more visible mouse cursor in KDE ...

Perhaps there's some nice easy way to do that in KDE (I haven't
explicitly looked into that) ... but, within the recesses of my memory,
I recalled reading something about changing pointer in X11 (generically,
standard X11 tool(s), not the snazzy replace your pointer with something
cute and/or animated type stuff) ... didn't recall the utility(/ies)
off the top of my head, but quick peek at ye olde O'Reilly & Associates
_X User Tools_ (First Edition, October 1994 - I'm pretty sure I got that
copy in 1995) ...

"6.14 Changing the Root Window Pointer"
...
"You can change the shape of the root window pointer to one of the standard
X cursor shapes or to any bitmap, using these options:

   -cursor_name standard_cursor_name
   -cursor cursorfile maskfile

The first option allows you to set the root window pointer to one of the stan-
dard cursor symbols.  To view these symbols, you can display the cursor font
using xfd, the X font displayer:

   xfd -fn cursor &

The file cursorfont.h (generally found in the directory /usr/include/X11) lists
the names that correspond to the characters in the cursor font.  To specify a
standard cursor on a command line or in a resource file, strip the XC_ prefix
from the name.  Thus, to set the root window pointer to the pirate cursor sym-
bol (a skull and crossbones!), you would enter

   % xsetroot -cursor_name pirate

The second xsetroot option:

   -cursor cursorfile maskfile

allows you to set the root pointer to a bitmap, perhaps one you cre-
ate.  The parameters cursorfile and maskfile are bitmaps.  The cursorfile is
the bitmap used for the pointer shape.  In effect, the maskfile is placed behind
the cursorfile bitmap to set it off from the root window.

For the cursorfile, you can use any of the standard bitmaps (generally found
in /usr/include/X11/bitmaps) or you can create a bitmap of your own using
the bitmap editor (22.03).

Every standard cursor has an associated mask, which appears next to it when
you display the cursor font.  If you are using your own bitmaps as the cursor- 
file, you need to create a maskfile (22.12) to go with it.

Once you have the components of the cursor, a bitmap, and makefile, you can   
specify it as the new pointer symbol.  Here we have a cat cursor:
   % xsetroot -cursor cat cat.mask
"

Anyway, ... pretty good book, but probably rather dated at this point,
and out of print ... too bad there isn't a relatively current, updated,
in-print edition.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/xtools/

Back in 1995, when I found myself thrust into an environment that was
pretty heavy in X11, and when I'd had just about zero X11 exposure prior
to that, I certainly found it a pretty good introduction, reference and
starting point for X11 orientation and use.