gitwtfhub

wtf is cursormuseum?

terkelg/cursormuseum — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2024-06-11

25CSSAudience · designerComplexity · 1/5DormantLicenseSetup · easy

TL;DR

A playful, MIT-licensed website that showcases the visual history of computer cursors across eras and platforms, built as a lighthearted design tribute.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((cursormuseum))
    Inputs
      Historical cursor designs
      Computing platforms
    Outputs
      Interactive cursor museum
      Nostalgic browsing
    Use Cases
      Explore cursor history
      Design inspiration
      Retro computing fun
    Tech Stack
      CSS
      JavaScript

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Browse how computer cursor designs have changed across decades and platforms for fun or nostalgia.

REASON 2

Study cursor design history as inspiration for a retro-themed UI project.

REASON 3

Fork the site to build your own themed museum of a different UI element.

REASON 4

Run the project locally to learn how a lightweight, framework-free interactive site is structured.

What's in the stack?

CSSJavaScript

How it stacks up

terkelg/cursormuseumtanykim/best-bookshelfmad1na2010/madinaa
Stars252522
LanguageCSSCSSCSS
Last pushed2024-06-112023-10-05
MaintenanceDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity1/52/52/5
Audiencedesignergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Just npm install plus a dev server command to run it locally.

MIT license. Use, modify, and distribute freely, including for other projects, as long as you credit the original creator.

Wtf does this do

Cursor Museum is a playful website that showcases the visual history of computer cursors, those little pointers that have evolved over decades of computing. It's a lighthearted exploration of pointing devices told through an interactive museum experience. The site displays different cursor styles from various eras and computing platforms, letting you explore how these humble UI elements have changed in shape, design, and function over time. It's more of a fun, tongue-in-cheek tribute than a serious historical archive, the creator describes it as "a silly dad joke turned into a website." The whole thing is built with CSS and JavaScript, making it a lightweight, browser-based experience you can visit and enjoy without installing anything. If you're nostalgic for old computer interfaces, fascinated by design history, or just want a quick laugh about how much computing aesthetics have shifted, this is the kind of project for you. It appeals to designers, retro computing enthusiasts, or anyone who's spent enough time on a computer to remember when cursors looked totally different. The code is open source, so web developers can also learn from how the site is structured or even fork it to create their own variations. To run it locally, you install the dependencies with npm, then use simple commands to start a development server or build a production version. The entire project is shared under an MIT license, meaning you're free to use, modify, and distribute it however you'd like as long as you credit the original creator.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me install dependencies with npm and run cursormuseum locally to explore it in my browser.
Prompt 2
Show me how this project's CSS and JavaScript display different historical cursor styles.
Prompt 3
I want to fork cursormuseum to build a similar museum for old computer icons instead of cursors. Where do I start?
Prompt 4
Explain how cursormuseum is structured without a heavy framework, so I can learn from its approach.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is cursormuseum?

A playful, MIT-licensed website that showcases the visual history of computer cursors across eras and platforms, built as a lighthearted design tribute.

What language is cursormuseum written in?

Mainly CSS. The stack also includes CSS, JavaScript.

Is cursormuseum actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2024-06-11).

What license does cursormuseum use?

MIT license. Use, modify, and distribute freely, including for other projects, as long as you credit the original creator.

How hard is cursormuseum to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is cursormuseum for?

Mainly designer.

View the repo → Decode another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Don't trust strangers blindly. Verify against the repo.