Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2015 15:34:58 +1000
From: Peter Hutterer <peter.hutterer@who-t.net>
To: Nikolai Kondrashov <spbnick@gmail.com>
Cc: Benjamin Tissoires <benjamin.tissoires@redhat.com>,
        Jiri Kosina <jkosina@suse.cz>, linux-input@vger.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
        DIGImend-devel <DIGImend-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 0/2] HID: huion: add libinput support
Message-ID: <20150220053458.GA23069@jelly.redhat.com>
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On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 01:54:17PM +0200, Nikolai Kondrashov wrote:
[...]
> >>>Last, I think we could add these tablets in the libwacom project, so that there
> >>>will be a nice GUI to configure the buttons.
> >>
> >>That would be a very welcome change, without doubt, thank you.
> >>
> >>However, I can't help wondering, would it be more productive to allow libwacom
> >>to work with just any basic tablet, without the need to add each one to the
> >>database?
> >
> >Actually, libwacom is not tight to Wacom devices at all (or should not
> >be). It is just a database of devices to add what the kernel doesn't or
> >can not provide. The things that are in the db are for example how the
> >buttons are physically mapped on the device, what is the actual layout
> >(one svg file), if there are LEDs attached to the tablet.
> >
> >All this needs a fine per-device tuning. We can add a generic
> >Huion/UClogic tablet too, but having a specific per-device definition
> >allows to show the exact mapping of the buttons on the overlay when
> >setting the functions.
> 
> I agree, that's a nice feature. However, I think being able to configure all
> the applicable Wacom driver features relatively comfortably, even if the
> tablet on screen doesn't exactly match your tablet, is still a win, compared
> to not being able to do it.
> 
> For the unknown tablets we can just draw abstract tablets, emphasising that
> control locations on the screen don't map to the actual locations. For
> example, have the tablet drawn like an exploded diagram: surface, buttons,
> dials - all separate.  Something like this:
> 
>     Buttons: * * * * * * *
>       Dials: O O
>   Work area: +------------+
>              |            |
>              |            |
>              |            |
>              +------------+
> 
> I think the users will be able to figure out the mapping by experimentation.
> 
> While it's just about possible to keep an up-to-date database of Wacom
> tablets, I don't think we'll ever be able to list all those generic tablets
> out there. Meanwhile a lot of people are left in the cold of xsetwacom and
> xinput.

not a reason to give up, IMO. most of these generic tablets are relatively
simple, so adding a libwacom entry should be a matter of minutes.
we'll never get full support of everything, but perfect is the enemy of good
here.

Cheers,
   Peter

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