As a workaround, the js_demo program shipped with flightgear provides a fair amount of information about joysticks (including tracking interaction with axes and buttons) and input-events from the input-utils package will provide an event dump while using the joystick.
I can replicate this for AMD64 with a different joystick (Saitek X52), although the package was not in the repositories (I locally compiled from https:/ /launchpad. net/distros/ ubuntu/ dapper/ +source/ joystick/ 20051019- 1ubuntu1).
In addition, there seems to be a kernel issue with the MP-8866 Joypad, addressed by http:// www.kernel. org/pub/ linux/kernel/ people/ gregkh/ usb/2.6/ 2.6.16- rc5/wisegroup- mp-8866- dual-usb- joypad. patch. This is part of mainline 2.6.16, so it will automatically be applied when the kernel next syncs with upstream.
As a workaround, the js_demo program shipped with flightgear provides a fair amount of information about joysticks (including tracking interaction with axes and buttons) and input-events from the input-utils package will provide an event dump while using the joystick.