Multitouch with Kernel 2.6.30
Linux and multitouch input also work without X.org and with help from the new Kernel 2.6.30. Three French students show how it's done.
Mohamed-Ikbel Boulabiar, Stephane Chatty and Sebastien Hamdani of the Interactive Computing Lab of the French Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC) in Toulouse have demonstrated that Linux can transform into a multitouch system with the help of the new kernel. A patch by kernel developer Henrik Rydberg for the Linux input system makes it possible.
A demo video on the project webpage shows how it looks in practice: what you need is a computer with surfaces from Broadcom 5974, Stantum, NTrig or DiamondTouch, Kernel 2.6.30 and Compiz with a DBus plugin. To rotate or scale windows, you also need the Freewins plugin. The demo reads input directly from the /dev/input/eventX device file. X Server plays absolutely no role at this point.
As the developers report, we're talking about a simple prototype. However, they hope that the adapted touchscreen drivers will land in Kernel 2.6.31. The demo also brings up the question whether X.org might improve handling of multitouch kernel events. The demo code and Stantum multitouch tablet driver and NTrig multitouch screen driver sources are available off the webpage.
Issue 268/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.
-
Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.
-
Critical Linux Vulnerability Found to Impact SMB Servers
A Linux vulnerability with a CVSS score of 10 has been found to affect SMB servers and can lead to remote code execution.
-
Linux Mint 21.1 Now Available with Plenty of Look and Feel Changes
Vera has arrived and although it is still using kernel 5.15, there are plenty of improvements sure to please everyone.