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Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

williambharding.com

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Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#191

Post by Qub3d »

dgregd wrote: post #182
MrLeftHand wrote: post #81

One of the main reasons I stopped using Linux is the touchpad! It is horrible out of the box experience and the insult to injury is the lack of no good user interface to even set anything. You have to screw around with libinput or xinput with zero documentation on both parts and hope you will hit a sweet spot eventually and hope that any future updates won't break it. I am way past of the tinkerer phase where I would…

> Under Windows 10 the new precision drivers are fantastic So it would be reasonable to limit that new Linux driver to support only Windows Precision compatible touch-pads. It seems that variety of different touch-pad hardware is causing that problems with creating a good Linux driver.

That is what the article suggests; creating a driver that supports most popular devices within the last 3 years or so.

Personally, I'm on board with this. We shouldn't be as concerned about supporting a ThinkPad circa 1994 if it means poorer performance across the boards. Libinput can be the jack-of-all-trades with "good enough" performance for the outliers.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#193

Post by stiGGG »

bluecalm wrote: post #152
nottorp wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Item 1: It's undeniable that the mouse is more precise, but it tethers you to a desk. One with enough space for a mouse. Not always feasible. Item 2: You're mentioning Thinkpads. Try a touchpad on OS X, then come back. The difference is enormous. You can actually use the GUI without a mouse and without being annoyed, it's the only laptop/OS combination where that works.

Every time I use my gf's Mac I am instantly annoyed by the touchpad. Yeah, it's better than the one on my Thinkpad but there I use the nipple which is faster, more precise and quicker to reach also I can scroll around using a button under my thump + nipple. Mac lacking page-up/page-down keys is annoying if you need to do a lot of scrolling/coming back to keyboard/scrolling.

You get page-up / page-down behaviour with option+up / option+down shortcuts on Macbook keyboard.

Also important:

begin document = cmd+up

end document = cmd+down

begin of line = cmd+left

end of line = cmd+right

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#194

Post by opencl »

ToFab123 wrote: post #113

Microsoft did it and wrote a driver that makes a PC touchpad just as amazing as the one you find on a MacBook. There is a world as different between using that driver and the standard synaptics driver most laptops ships with. For sure you want the same on a Linux box.

It's really annoying that Microsoft's precision drivers work with the vast majority of recent Synaptics touchpads and yet vendors keep shipping this hardware with the terrible Synaptics drivers. You can manually install the precision drivers on these machines but then Windows Update will often 'helpfully' decide to revert back to the manufacturer drivers.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#195

Post by tzahola »

peterburkimsher wrote: post #189
tzahola wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry for being off-topic, but I can't resist asking why on Earth would you want to port iTunes and AppleScript? Everyone I know (except the HN user actsasbuffoon) loathes iTunes, while AppleScript is just... silly, compared to other scripting languages.

I miss the old iTunes 10 interface, which I use as a database manager (I like smart playlists, playlist folders, and Genre > Artist > Album columns). AppleScript because it has so many APIs. BetterTouchTool makes heavy use of it. I taught myself how to code in it when I was 13, and I still use it now.

>AppleScript because it has so many APIs.

You mean the commands you can use on apps like iTunes, Finder, Photos, etc.? Those are not AppleScript-specific per se (AFAIK there used to be an option to write Automator scripts in JS). You'd need the Linux/Gnome/KDE equivalent of the Open Scripting Architecture ( https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Ap... ) with active participation from app developers. Sounds like a huge overtaking.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#196

Post by NeedMoreTea »

masklinn wrote: post #155
NeedMoreTea wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Odd. I find the trackpoint more precise than any touchpad, Macs included. I've owned Macbooks for years yet am instantly happier, and faster, on the keyboard and trackpoint of the wife's T series. I'd pay significantly more over already inflated Apple prices to have my MBP with a trackpoint and no touchpad.

Yeah odd it's as if different people have different sensibilities and my experience with trackpoints has no influence on yours and the other way around . How surprising.

You were the one expressing in absolutes.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#197

Post by EatYourGreens »

nottorp wrote: post #56
ahartmetz wrote: post #49

A cheap mouse allows finer and faster control than the best touchpad that currently exists, so... I plug in a mouse. (Don't believe me? Play an FPS game with touchpad against a mouse user.) That said, Synaptics touchpad support on Linux is bad. In my case, it's the touchpad on a Thinkpad T440s. It can run in a legacy/standard protocol mode or a "modern" protocol mode. Linux supposedly supports the latter (where palm…

Item 1: It's undeniable that the mouse is more precise, but it tethers you to a desk. One with enough space for a mouse. Not always feasible. Item 2: You're mentioning Thinkpads. Try a touchpad on OS X, then come back. The difference is enormous. You can actually use the GUI without a mouse and without being annoyed, it's the only laptop/OS combination where that works.

> Item 2: You're mentioning Thinkpads. Try a touchpad on OS X, then come back. The difference is enormous. You can actually use the GUI without a mouse and without being annoyed, it's the only laptop/OS combination where that works.

Firstly, there is a difference in feel between touchpads on different macbooks. I loved the one on my old Air, whereas the current touchpads on Pros don't really feel right to me. Maybe that's why I am not disappointed by Thinkpads? Drivers are not as good, but calling Lenovo's touchpads unusable would be an exaggeration.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#198

Post by 738472527784 »

isostatic wrote: post #3

Am I the only one who prefers the nipples on thinkpads?

If it works and you got used to it, it is so great on the integrated display. I got so used to not leaving the home row, I get annoyed when I have to use the arrow keys.

My X220 nipple unfortunately became a little unreliable. Needs calibration often (auto moving cursor) and sometimes one direction works better than others. It's annoying, especially since the touchpad is just unusable.

Any suggestions? Hardware or software issue? Would a new rubber nipple hood thingy help?

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#199

Post by peterburkimsher »

tzahola wrote: post #195
peterburkimsher wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I miss the old iTunes 10 interface, which I use as a database manager (I like smart playlists, playlist folders, and Genre > Artist > Album columns). AppleScript because it has so many APIs. BetterTouchTool makes heavy use of it. I taught myself how to code in it when I was 13, and I still use it now.

>AppleScript because it has so many APIs. You mean the commands you can use on apps like iTunes, Finder, Photos, etc.? Those are not AppleScript-specific per se (AFAIK there used to be an option to write Automator scripts in JS). You'd need the Linux/Gnome/KDE equivalent of the Open Scripting Architecture ( https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Ap... ) with active participation from app developers…

Yes, it would be a huge undertaking. I've already rewritten my own apps for offline maps, calendar, notes, and I plan to write contacts and iTunes too. When there's a standard API comparable to Apple Events/OSA within those core apps, I'd hope to have enough leverage to persuade other app developers to accept pull requests.

Re: Linux touchpad like a Macbook: goal worth pursuing?

#200

Post by 738472527784 »

Rovanion wrote: post #54
lokedhs wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see. I haven't tried the Thinkpads since before they were sold to Lenovo, so perhaps they are superior. I am in the market for a new laptop, so perhaps I should give them a chance. Not really for the pointers, but they do seem to be fine laptops overall.

Yeah. I got a Dell for my day job and unfortunately the nipple is entirely unusable. I miss my ThinkPad :/

Can confirm. Dell's nipples are unusable. Nothing like the Thinkpad ones.
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