Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 23:33:57 -0400 From: "Louis A. Mamakos" <louie@TransSys.COM> To: Kazutaka YOKOTA <yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp> Cc: freebsd-current@freefall.freebsd.org Subject: Re: moused enhancement (was: Re: make world) Message-ID: <199704100333.XAA21958@whizzo.transsys.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 10 Apr 1997 11:36:10 %2B0900." <199704100236.LAA07337@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp> References: <Pine.OSF.3.95q.970407165836.15555A-100000@protocol.eng.umd.edu> <19970409032758.35315@usn.blaze.net.au> <199704091659.MAA19396@whizzo.transsys.com> <199704100236.LAA07337@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
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> I looked at your patch (PR bin/3028) and understand that it adds ALPS > GlidePoint support. XFree86 also has GlidePoint support (since > 3.1.2F?). As far as I can understand, your support code and XFree86's > are not functionally equivalent. Yes, this seems to be the case. I had already made similar changes to this in the X server and moused seems to be the better approach - it didn't require that I have to figure out how to build X. > Yours is for GlidePoint on the PS/2 mouse port and XFree86's code is > for GlidePoint attached to a serial port. Your code makes `moused' > pretend the left mouse button is pressed when the user `taps' > GlidePoint's surface, whereas XFree86 regards the `tap' action as the > fourth button press. I was hopeful when I heard about the glidepoint support in XFree86, but frankly, having the tap gesture appear as a fourth mouse button didn't solve a problem - it simply created another one. Frankly, X already has way too many degrees of freedom and configurability as a substitute for user interface design, and this was another chrome plated knob. All I wanted was to have the stupid point device *work*; I lost my will to dick around with X trying to get CAPS-LOCK/CTRL keys to do the right thing. I just wanted it to work.. > Ok, we can argue that it isn't necessary that `moused' and XFree86 > behave in exactly the same way. But, isn't this difference rather > confusing to the user? In order for a user to use GlidePoint with X, > he has to choose: > > 1) attach GlidePoint to the PS/2 mouse port and specify `glidepoint' > to `moused'. Tell X, in XF86Config, to access `/dev/sysmouse' and > the protocol is `mousesystems'. > 2) attach GlidePoint to a serial port, don't use `moused'. specify > `glidepoint' in XF86Config. > > If GlidePoint is attached to a serial port and the user intends to use > `moused', he shouldn't specify `glidepoint' as the protocol, rather he > has to choose `microsoft' or `mouseman'. `Tap' feature won't be > recognized in this case. > If GlidePoint is attached to the PS/2 mouse port and the user don't > use `moused', he shouldn't specify `glidepoint' as the protocol in > XF86Config, rather he has to say `ps/2'. `Tap' feature won't be > recognized in this case. > > IMHO, more complete support for GlidePoint is necessary for both > `moused' and XFree86. One solution on `moused's side may be to > incorporate serial GlidePoint support code from XFree86 into `moused'. > What do you think? Alternatively, we ought to recommend that moused *always* be used as a default configuration, and leave one less XF86Config option to worry about. In that way, you'll get the syscons support along for free. I claim that having the XFree86 behaviour of a 4th mouse button doesn't actually help most users. They just want the pointing device to do the right thing. I suppose (eeek!) an option could be added to configure what the tap gesture should do. > One other thing. ALPS produces several models of GlidePoint devices. > I know that some models (such as Desktop GlidePoint model GP101) need > specific support code, but the others (such as GlidePoint model GP001) > don't; they internally generate a left button press event when the > user taps the surface of the device. Certainly the earlier ALPS 3 button devices, including the "standalone" laptop pointing device and their combined keyboard/pointing device have a seperate tap gesture. I haven't encountered the other ones myself. louie
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