1. A method for registering and operating an input device in a pen-based computer system for entering a gesture into the system, the system having a memory, a processor including proximity and gesture cancel timer devices and a display coupled to a system bus, the method comprising the steps of: a. placing the system in a gesture mode; b. determining the input device type and storing an identification of the device type in the memory for the gesture stroke, if the system is not in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps; b1. establishing an alterable motion zone definitive of movement for each input device type; b2. establishing a gesture cancel time period for a user; b3. dividing the gesture time period by a utility factor; b4. saving the the result of step b3 as a gesture cancel reset time for the gesture cancel timer device; c. canceling the proximity timer for a second or greater numbered gesture stroke, if the system is in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps: c1. determining the input device type; c2. comparing the device types for present and past gesture strokes; c3. canceling the gesture if the device types are different for present and past gestures strokes; d. incrementing a stroke count if the device types are the same for the present and past gestures strokes and performing the following steps: d1. comparing the gesture stroke count to a preselected maximum count; d2. cancelling the gesture if the stroke count exceeds the maximum count; (d3)e1. recording coordinates in the display as the final gesture position, if the stroke does not exceed the maximum count, and performing the following steps; (d4)e2. time stamping the final gesture position; (d5)e3. initiating a gesture cancel timer, and (d6)e4. canceling the gesture when the gesture cancel timer exceeds a preselected time period.