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Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

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Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#21

Post by jxdxbx »

RIMR wrote: post #7
jxdxbx wrote: post #4

Apple has been perfecting its trackpad software since 1994, and it’s been getting better ever since. By contrast Apple keyboards have gotten worse since 1995 when it discontinued the Apple Extended Keyboard II. We don’t talk about Apple’s mice.

Eh, the multitouch magic mouse is pretty intuitive when you get used to it. Depending on what you do, it could be an excellent daily driver, but it does tend to have some limitations that can make it a non-starter...

I can’t right click on them. I guess you have to raise up your fingers from the left side? I just found that to be a dealbreaker. I’ve had to use them for work and I turn them into one-button mice with scrolling. The scrolling is excellent, I like low-profile mice, and I don’t mind the charger port location. But I need to right click!

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#22

Post by [deleted] »

al_borland wrote: post #6

Why does this seem like such a hard problem to solve for everyone that isn’t Apple, when Apple seemingly solved the Trackpad over a decade ago? Is this it? An unknown ROI? >the highly uncertain ROI for trying to align touchpad acceleration has prevented us from proposing a system change to the default Linux settings. I can only speak for myself, but I gave up using trackpads on anything that isn’t a MacBook many year…

[deleted]

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#23

Post by LegibleCrimson »

seszett wrote: post #20
al_borland wrote: post #6

Why does this seem like such a hard problem to solve for everyone that isn’t Apple, when Apple seemingly solved the Trackpad over a decade ago? Is this it? An unknown ROI? >the highly uncertain ROI for trying to align touchpad acceleration has prevented us from proposing a system change to the default Linux settings. I can only speak for myself, but I gave up using trackpads on anything that isn’t a MacBook many year…

I've been reading this kind of opinion for years, but I have always found the touchpad to be annoyingly slow under macOS. On the other hand, MacBooks are basically the only laptops with a large enough touchpad to be comfortable, I don't know if there's some other secret sauce Apple algorithm in the firmware that contributes to the experience, but to me the perfect combination is with a MacBook running Linux, which is…

Likewise. There's something about MacOS's touchpad handling that makes it impossible to get it to feel good for me. The default Gnome settings on a Mac touchpad feel perfect.

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#24

Post by [deleted] »

seszett wrote: post #20
al_borland wrote: post #6

Why does this seem like such a hard problem to solve for everyone that isn’t Apple, when Apple seemingly solved the Trackpad over a decade ago? Is this it? An unknown ROI? >the highly uncertain ROI for trying to align touchpad acceleration has prevented us from proposing a system change to the default Linux settings. I can only speak for myself, but I gave up using trackpads on anything that isn’t a MacBook many year…

I've been reading this kind of opinion for years, but I have always found the touchpad to be annoyingly slow under macOS. On the other hand, MacBooks are basically the only laptops with a large enough touchpad to be comfortable, I don't know if there's some other secret sauce Apple algorithm in the firmware that contributes to the experience, but to me the perfect combination is with a MacBook running Linux, which is…

[deleted]

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#25

Post by feitingen »

recursive wrote: post #9

What exactly is smooth scrolling? Like you press the down arrow, and the scroll is animated instead of instantly snapping down by 50 pixels?

I think in relation to touchpads, it allows for scrolling at smaller increments than 50px (without animation)

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#26

Post by jhickok »

RIMR wrote: post #7
jxdxbx wrote: post #4

Apple has been perfecting its trackpad software since 1994, and it’s been getting better ever since. By contrast Apple keyboards have gotten worse since 1995 when it discontinued the Apple Extended Keyboard II. We don’t talk about Apple’s mice.

Eh, the multitouch magic mouse is pretty intuitive when you get used to it. Depending on what you do, it could be an excellent daily driver, but it does tend to have some limitations that can make it a non-starter...

I like the multitouch aspect, but I hate how tiny and flat it is for ergonomic reasons. It's also not comfortable to raise your fingers up and pull them back to draw on the surface of a mouse.

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#27

Post by Toutouxc »

RIMR wrote: post #7
jxdxbx wrote: post #4

Apple has been perfecting its trackpad software since 1994, and it’s been getting better ever since. By contrast Apple keyboards have gotten worse since 1995 when it discontinued the Apple Extended Keyboard II. We don’t talk about Apple’s mice.

Eh, the multitouch magic mouse is pretty intuitive when you get used to it. Depending on what you do, it could be an excellent daily driver, but it does tend to have some limitations that can make it a non-starter...

It's a surprisingly okay daily driver mouse if you actually don't use the mouse that much, like if you're writing code or staring at code most of the time. I daily drove it for 3 years despite the terrible ergonomics, because I consider macOS almost unusable without the gestures (horizontal scroll, zoom, mission control, swiping between fullscreen apps). A few weeks ago I snapped and got the Magic Trackpad instead, which is a bit pricey (that's why I delayed the purchase), but IMO lovely to use.

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#28

Post by doctor_eval »

jxdxbx wrote: post #21
RIMR wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, the multitouch magic mouse is pretty intuitive when you get used to it. Depending on what you do, it could be an excellent daily driver, but it does tend to have some limitations that can make it a non-starter...

I can’t right click on them. I guess you have to raise up your fingers from the left side? I just found that to be a dealbreaker. I’ve had to use them for work and I turn them into one-button mice with scrolling. The scrolling is excellent, I like low-profile mice, and I don’t mind the charger port location. But I need to right click!

That’s so weird. I love my Magic Mouse for everything except gaming, and I right-click all day long without even thinking about it.

I wonder what we do differently?

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#29

Post by givinguflac »

recursive wrote: post #14
wildrhythms wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using the term 'down arrow' in the context of scrolling already reveals you aren't the target audience for such a feature.

Ok, I'm not in the target audience. Fine. I would still like to know what it is.

From Macrumors: MacBook Pro offers an enhanced multi-touch trackpad supporting inertial scrolling. The feature, already present in similar forms on Apple's iPhone OS devices and the Magic Mouse, allows users to "flick" while scrolling as the trackpad senses the momentum of the gesture and smoothly scrolls through long documents and libraries.

Re: Linux Touchpad Like MacBook Update: 2023 Progress on Smooth Scrolling

#30

Post by NoThisIsMe »

k8svet wrote: post #10

I remember this project starting. Not one single thing has changed that affects me as a result and I use Linux everywhere, daily. As far as I can tell it's a lot of small, niche work, that is almost completely immaterial to average users. Meanwhile there's no stop scroll events across the ecosystem. The single biggest win that Linux touchpad needs is stop scroll events. I'll bite my tongue on passing more judgement o…

There is stop scroll support in GTK4
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