Mouse cursor disappears.

I haven't setup or installed any Adobe products besides Reader, Flash and Java. I've mentioned it before in this thread and remain convinced that the problem is Flash or Java related. My cursor disappears most often when I'm playing Flash based videos in Safari. The problem seems to be more severe when I have the video playing full screen on one display and try to do work on another screen.

I'm quite sure that the disappearing cursor has nothing to do with any application and is a problem with OS X. Too many people have the problem in very diversified circumstances. Here is my discussion of what could cause a bug like this:

I’ll suggest in general terms what might cause a highly intermittent bug like this.

Lets suppose that there is a cursor driver that is called by interrupts hundreds of times per second. This routine has to replace the cursor with previously saved screen image and save the image where the cursor will be moved to and redraw the cursor. Somehow there is a map of the screen telling where links and text and the edge of the window are so that it can know when to change the type of cursor. Now, suppose a higher level routine, perhaps called by customer applications, also has to get and send information to the interrupt routine. Assume a data structure consisting of multiple computer words is used to pass this information back and forth. If this data structure contains the wrong information the cursor will disappear. How can the data structure be changed, i.e. corrupted, so that it expresses an invalid cursor state? Well, if an interrupt takes place while the higher level routine is in the process of updating the data structure, and the interrupt routine also tries to update the data structure, then confusion will rein. Normally the higher priority interrupt routine must be prohibited from interrupting the update of the data structure by the higher level routine while the higher level routine is in the middle of updating the data structure. So, normally, some mechanism will exist to temporarily raise the priority of the higher level routine while it is updating the data structure. The update of the data structure has to be atomic, ie completed without someone else trying to mess with the same data structure.

If the critical segment where the data structure is being updated is 1 microsecond long and is encountered only every second, then the chances of failure will be 1 in a million. However over a period of hours there could be a million chances as the mouse is moved and the interrupt routine is called. However this process may not be strictly random. Depending on the relative timing of the interrupt routine and the higher level routine a collision between the two routines could take place much more frequently. There can be synchronizing events and “beats” that cause the time difference between the two routines to converge. On the other had the synchronizing events may serve to always prevent a collision. That may be whey the bug doesn’t occur much on infinity loop in Cupertino.

Probably the best way to find a bug like this is to inspect the code.

This is interesting and shows how complex a system can be. Thank you. However, as a computer and software user, I expect the designers of these (Apple, Adobe & Co.) to find a solution, especially for such a fundamental feature as where the cursor is. I do not expect my car manufacturer to give me details of why the central locking on my car persistently unlocks randomly, or why my electricity supply disconnects from time to time in every month with an "r" in it. I expect solutions, especially for such a serious and long-running fault as the cursor problems.

It seems to me that any object with a microprocessor in it is liable to crash or malfunction randomly, as even my TVs and TV recorders do, requiring to be switched off then on. I was in a hospital bed last year for a few days. It had a screen and computer-type selection arrows etc.to choose any of several mattress layouts (flat, Z, sloping etc.). It crashed!!! A software engineer had to be called to fix it!!! A bed!!! More needs to be done to make microprocessors and/or their controlling software more reliable.

Perhaps Apple, Adobe etc.could stop upgrading their softwares so often, with new bells and whistles, and spend the time making what they do produce more bug-free. The phone system, the National Grid, semi-robotic surgical operating systems etc. seem to be able to do it. I have never heard of a patient having his aorta sliced because the surgeon could not keep track of the position of the knife. Why are computers sold with so many bugs (some are inevitable, but so many?)

I agree but am not so sure that the other folks who mention are immune from hardware and software problems. Morality should go a long way to encourage responsible business practices. Litigation can blungeon miscreants and responsbile persons alike to respond (not necessarily equitably when litigation is of the "might is right" type). But, whether it is in the code and/or elsewhere else, a fix seems to be the foundational remedy. With a fix, the problem goes away. With a fix showing miscreant misbehavior, corporate or litigational discipline should be imposed. So, why hasn't anyone been able to fix this problem? Not enough software experts? Too complicated? Are lawyers too stupid to hire the proper experts to get the fix and sue?

I understand the frustration here, but it's not entirely fair to compare the phone system (a major piece of infrastructure) to a PC OS (consumer electronics). It's not uncommon for mobile phone users to change their phone every six to twelve months. A surgical robot bought today will likely still be operating 20 years from now, same with a PBX (phone system), the ubiqutious Cisco IP Phone that so many offices utilize today is the same Cisco IP Phone that I was installing nearly 15 years ago. We can't forget about the price either, a surgical robot may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, while upgrading to Mountain Lion was $20.

Regardless, I'm growing more irritated by the day trying to locate and use something so fundamental to a computer as the mouse.pointer.

I have had my tele. no. since 1980. Most people are not so unstable (as the software we are addressing) "to change their phone every six to twelve months." $20 is not much but IF that upgrade could be convincingly shown to be the cause the charges should be reversed and then some. Either we are the victim of tech oligopolies or software conflicts the evade the techs (and may irritate them even more).

Interesting discussion. But, at bottom:

1. There is a problem;

2. It is serious;

3. It affects many people;

4. A solution is possible;

5. It is a defect of the Apple/Adobe whathaveyou offerings that a solution has not been found after several changes to new operating systems over several years;

6. That defect is not being addressed.

I don't know why but hiding the dock (CMD+OPT+D) reduce sensibly the problem for me.

4 hours of work and only one time the cursor disappeared.

A solution is impossible for me if this discussion does not be published in many blog, forum o magazines.

Yes! That works for me.

Not ideal, but at least I can function now.

Thanks. 🙂

It's more easy when mouse disappear to do many click over the taskbar to solve the problem (not permanently).

Here, we are finding a permanently solution 😟

Dissapearing cusor in Photoshop

I tried adjusting the memory and it is still happening with no improvement.

Apple we have a PROBLEM with Mountain Lion 10.8.2

The problem only started when I upgraded from 10.6, no other equipment of software changes were made.

Losing much time in productivity, constantly refreshing the cursor with the Finder or dock.

Problem occurs also on 10.8.3 with plain Apple Software:

My cursor disappears whenever I switch to iTunes, it reappears when I hover over the dock (or switch to any other application).

How frustrating, after three months on a new MBPro Retina I suffered from some odd kernel panic (AGC GPU REGISTER RESTORE, another long-term-bug), got the complete logic board replaced, installed a fresh 10.8.3 - and now this.

I am done with Apple for now as I need a reliable system to work with.

Here's an update. In addition to sending this problem through the normal channels on the Apple web site, I also sent an email directly to Tim Cook. A few weeks later, I received a call and email from Corporate Executive Relations. The person I spoke with was very nice and extremely professional and setup a call the next day with another representative to take down all the information I had. I provided this person with a full system diagnosis of my computer (83MB worth). I was also asked to provide a video showing the cursor disappearing in Photoshop. The video was not a problem to make, as I am able to re-create this consistently. A few days later I received another call from Corporate Executive Relations thanking me for the info and saying that engineering had received everything and the problem would be addressed in a future release. Let's hope it's soon.

Willjjv wrote:

Here's an update. In addition to sending this problem through the normal channels on the Apple web site, I also sent an email directly to Tim Cook. A few weeks later, I received a call and email from Corporate Executive Relations. The person I spoke with was very nice and extremely professional and setup a call the next day with another representative to take down all the information I had. I provided this person with a full system diagnosis of my computer (83MB worth). I was also asked to provide a video showing the cursor disappearing in Photoshop. The video was not a problem to make, as I am able to re-create this consistently. A few days later I received another call from Corporate Executive Relations thanking me for the info and saying that engineering had received everything and the problem would be addressed in a future release. Let's hope it's soon.

Wow! A reaction from Apple to customer discontent lasting several years! Things (seem to be) looking up. Well done! Please let us know if they contact you about the cursor problem.

Did you refer the Apple person to this (and the other threads) on the same mouse problem?

I was both surprised and pleased to receive a reply. I mentioned the threads on this web site as well as Adobe's web site in my letter and in my phone conversations.