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I'm working on a Xamarin effect to enable cross-platform custom cursors, and ran into a cursor I have never seen used before on Windows:
In the Windows Runtime API, it's referred to as UpArrow, and simply described as "The up arrow Windows cursor" (source), although in the old control panel it is described as "Alternate Select".
What on earth does it mean/what purpose does it serve? And considering it's hardly ever used, would it make sense to use it in any situation?
This cursor has been used in the built-in card game software of Windows in the past. It was used in for example Solitaire to show an alternative cursor for when you move a card to one of the four stacks at the top. Possibly also used in Free Cell. I have not seen this cursor used anywhere else, and it appears to be a forgotten cursor.
I cannot remember where I've seen it used before, but my experience with it was for highlighting a column from clicking on a "footer" of a table. This isn't a common element of a table, so that's likely why the cursor isn't familiar.
It is similar in function, but much less common than it's horizontal relative:
Image from OmniSecu.com
I would assume it was just an option to change the cursor to something bigger as windows allowed for custom cursors. All that I could find is this article from the School for blind regarding accesibillity for visually impaired users.
https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/blog/large-mouse-pointer-low-vision
