1. <programming> An address, from the point of view of a
programming language. A pointer may be typed, with its type
indicating the type of data to which it points.
The terms "pointer" and "reference" are generally
interchangable although particular programming languages often
differentiate these two in subtle ways. For example, Perl
always calls them references, never pointers. Conversely, in
C, "pointer" is used, although "a reference" is often used to
denote the concept that a pointer implements.
Anthony Hoare once said:
Pointers are like jumps, leading wildly from one part of the
data structure to another. Their introduction into high-level
languages has been a step backward from which we may never
recover.
[C.A.R.Hoare "Hints on Programming Language Design", 1973,
Prentice-Hall collection of essays and papers by Tony Hoare].
2. <operating system> (Or "mouse pointer") An icon, usually
a small arrow, that moves on the screen in response to
movement of a pointing device, typically a mouse. The
pointer shows the user which object on the screen will be
selected etc. when a mouse button is clicked.
