Ubuntu QA:
BlogBrainstormPackage status
Log in
Ubuntu QA
The Ubuntu community has contributed 22823 ideas, 138726 comments, 2639112 votes
Idea sandbox Idea sandbox
Popular ideas Popular ideas
Ideas in development Ideas in development
Implemented ideas Implemented ideas
Idea #4973: Provide easy touchpad configuration GUI

Written by leu the 18 Mar 08 at 00:52. Category: Hardware support. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
It is quite uncomfortable to configure Synaptics touchpads.

First you have to install gsynaptics (or a similar program like qsynaptics), which is quite easy.

But after you have done that, you have to configure the xorg.conf (SHMConfig true).

If you have a look in the new xorg.conf provided by hardy, there are no entries for the touchpad anymore. So the full touchpad configuration has to be inserted manually.

I suggest that the configuration of the touchpad should be more easy.

It would be more comfortable for new users, if they do not need to configure the xorg.conf.


Developer comments
We will hopefully have something like this for Jaunty.

500
votes
up equal down
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #4973
Written by leu the 18 Mar 08 at 00:52.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #4973 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

Propose your solution

Attachments
No attachments.


Duplicates


Comments
HDave wrote on the 18 Mar 08 at 18:25
I have a synaptics touchpad on my Dell XPS M1210 laptop and it worked out of the box....perfect.

sawjew2 wrote on the 18 Mar 08 at 22:55
Agreed. It is not too difficult for someone who knows what they're doing to set up the touchpad but the average user just wants to find the configuration and use it.

It should be possible for the installer to detect that it is being installed on a laptop and suggest the installation of q/gsynaptics.

It should also be possible for the q/gsynaptics package to add the extra section in xorg.conf when it is installed.

OasisGames wrote on the 2 Apr 08 at 20:57
Agree, gsynatpics used to be installed and enabled by default back in Feisty. As of Gutsy it was cut, though luckily I wasn't forced to remove it during the upgrade. The options given by the Mouse settings are horrible and lacking, but with the SHMConfig-based tools give me all sorts of things I use regularly (like circular scrolling, sensitivity settings, etc.).

leu wrote on the 18 Apr 08 at 17:52
For you pleasure :)

Circular Scrolling websites:
-----------------------------

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
Option "CircularScrolling" "on"
Option "CircScrollTrigger" "2"
EndSection

Start on the right side of your touchpad, go to the middle and do circles for srolling.

wgrant (Ubuntu developer) wrote on the 23 Sep 08 at 11:54
In Intrepid, one can use the command-line utility 'xinput' to set most of these options on the fly - without altering xorg.conf or enabling SHMConfig. I hope to make the GNOME touchpad configuration GUI somewhat more complete for Jaunty.

romu wrote on the 7 Nov 08 at 10:22
Add the automatic SHMConfig and the settings for double-click and middle-click (with 2 or 3 fingers) and we would be able to not touch the Xorg.conf to configure the touchpad.

Thanks.


Post your comment