Input device configuration plans (was re: xf86-input-synaptics 1.0.99.3)

[Dan Nicholson]

On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 4:07 AM, Peter Hutterer <peter.hutterer at who-t.net> wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 05, 2009 at 09:15:32AM +0000, Colin Guthrie wrote:
>> > If synclient/gsynaptics are insufficient, I'd patch the driver.
>> > fdi files as configuration were always frowned upon and were mostly used
>> > because of a lack of alternatives.
>>
>> Hmm, strange. I was kinda basing my approach on the comments in the
>> Fedora synaptic package's FDI file...
>
> we need to leave that in for a bit longer until we have (gui) tools to
> configure and manage settings at runtime.
>
>> Isn't inconcistency worse than breaking this one approach here. At
>> present only a subset of input drivers are configurable in xorg.conf and
>> others are not. If I have to explain to a user that they cannot set they
>> keyboard locale in xorg.conf but they can configure their synaptics
>> options, is this not a more confusing response to someone? They feel
>> like you just have to "know" in order to know!
>>
>> This is a genuinely open question by me, I'm not trying to put a
>> particular slant on it or push it one way, I'm just a bit confused now
>> as to why some drivers work one way and others another.
>>
>> Perhaps I'm just not seeing the strategy here... what is the intended
>> plan moving forward? Push more stuff into hal or less? Or perhaps make
>> hal+conf parsing augment each other rather than hal overriding the conf?
>> Whatever the plan is, I'd argue consistency should be a key consideration.
>
> I admit, much of the input stuff so far was fire-fighting, more so than a
> grand strategy. It's one of these times when things get worse before they get
> better. FWIW, I think we're on the verge of the "getting better" part though.

Allow me to toss out the hotplugged xorg.conf patch I made previously.

http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg/2008-December/041188.html

While this does not solve all the configuration problems, it does
address the xorg.conf consistency Colin's talking about.

--
Dan