[Bionic] 1.9.4-2ubuntu1 makes touchpad jumpy on Dell Precision 7510 and HP 450 G3

[Francois Thirioux]

AlpsPS/2 ALPS DualPoint TouchPad

With 1.9.4-2ubuntu1 I cannot easily change e.g. the size of a row in GNOME (Synaptic, Evolution, etc.).
Clearly, the patch applied to update 1.9.4-2 to 1.9.4-2ubuntu1 is here faulty (again).

If I keep my finger stationary, the cursor makes small movements. I don't know if the patch is useful for some people but clearly not for my Dell Precision 7510 as it makes it not usable.

The trackpoint is ok, as it is not affected by the patch (if I understand it correctly).

Way to solve the issue : revert the patch. :-)

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Hi Francois,

The patch in 1.9.4-2ubuntu1 is the same as what's coming soon in libinput release 1.10. So a fix for your specific touchpad should be done upstream. Simply reverting the patch won't help you after we update to libinput 1.10, and besides most laptops seem to need that patch.

Please report the issue to the libinput developers here:
  https://bugs.freedesktop.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=wayland&component=libinput

And when done let us know the ID of your newly created bug.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Interesting it always seems to be Dell laptops with this issue. Although I don't have one that exhibits it.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104828

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Francois,

As a simple workaround, I'm sure you know already, you can install the previous version:

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libinput/1.9.4-2/+build/13868617/+files/libinput10_1.9.4-2_amd64.deb

I think you can also configure your system to keep that older version installed, but I'm not familiar with pinning.

The version "1.9.4-2ubuntu1" that's problematic for you is actually the first version that works properly for many other laptops. In my experience most of them were unusably laggy and unresponsive without that patch. And at last count 11% of all upstream bug reports to libinput were complaints from people about the laggy unresponsive behaviour. So I believe many more people will benefit from the new version than will experience regressions like you do.

The way forward here is to wait for the libinput developers to request diagnostic information from you about your touchpad hardware, so they can build in a permanent solution for you.

As an alternative to all the libinput issues, you can simply:
 1. Install package: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
 2. Only log in to "Ubuntu on Xorg" so that driver is used (libinput won't be used).
 3. Tweak your preferences with the command 'synclient'
 4. Start app "Startup Applications" and insert the synclient command with your preferences there.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Thanks Daniel for your detailed answer.

I'm running mainly Wayland except during Nvidia sessions :-( .
Running X and synaptics would take me back in the past ! Even if I know how to tweak synaptics properties & al., I prefer to stay with libinput.

And you mentioned that the upcoming 1.10 version will include the patch, so I should learn how to use my (slightly) jumpy touchpad. Additionally I often use my trackpoint...
AFAIK, Peter doesn't want to include too much user settings in libinput, but couldn't we imagine an hysteresis property ?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I too have been asking and pressing him for such a property/setting for some months already.

One reason why that hasn't been done is just the complexity of the software stack. You'd have to implement it at four(?) different levels before it would work:
  * libinput
  * gnome-shell / mutter
  * gsettings schema
  * gnome-tweak-tool / gnome-control-centre

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

So : I updated this morning my professional HP 450 G3 with SynPS/2 Synaptics touchpad and I experience exactly the same bug. Especially annoying (running both Dell & HP) when scrolling a PDF (two fingers) in Evince.

It's maybe not hardware-related ?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Does the cursor move if you just hold one finger completely still on the touchpad?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

At a guess, if you're using tap-to-click rather than a clickpad, and your taps exceed 80ms then in that could could hysteresis to get switched off.

Again, I really wish this was just a configurable option. That would have saved months and months of continuing debate.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Yes, the cursor moves by maybe 1 or 2 px when I hold my finger.
It's much better than the last time I had issues with libinput. But, as I wrote, it's very annoying when I scroll a PDF, wait to read some text while keeping my two fingers on the touchpad.

On both laptops, I use touchpads with tap-to-click.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I think scrolling is going to be worse because of this separate issue:
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104569

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Sounds like the upstream fix is in libinput 1.10.1

Francois can you confirm this is fixed in 18.04 now, using:

libinput (1.10.1-1) unstable; urgency=medium

  * New upstream release.
    - fix crashers (Closes: #891579) (LP: #1750664)

 -- Timo Aaltonen <email address hidden> Wed, 28 Feb 2018 18:20:21 +0200

?

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Unfortunately, the issue is not fixed.
Maybe that the cursor woobles less, but I'm far from sure of that.

It is still quite hard to select a part of a text, e.g.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

In that case please reopen your upstream bug:
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104828

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Done.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

We do not have the latest hysteresis code in 1.10.1 :
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=104828#c42

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Ah yes, OK.

Sorry, I forgot libinput bugfix releases (1.10.1) often don't contain the bug fixes you want, despite the fact they're "fixed" upstream. You often have to wait for the next feature release, which will now be 1.11.0

Please double-check that the upstream libinput code fixes your problems completely. Then the bugzilla entry can be closed as 'fixed' and this one in Launchpad stays open until adequate fixes reach Debian/Ubuntu.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

I cannot install libgtk3-dev (needed to build libinput) since it has broken dependencies...
I need help :-)

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

ok for libgtk-dev.

But... :

~/libinput$ ninja -C builddir/
ninja: Entering directory `builddir/'
[30/306] Compiling C object 'libinput-record@exe/tools_libinput-record.c.o'.
FAILED: libinput-record@exe/tools_libinput-record.c.o
cc -Ilibinput-record@exe -I. -I.. -I../src -I../include -I/usr/include/libevdev-1.0/ -I/usr/include/libwacom-1.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/include -fdiagnostics-color=always -pipe -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -Wall -Winvalid-pch -Wextra -std=gnu99 -O0 -g -Wno-unused-parameter -g -fvisibility=hidden -Wmissing-prototypes -Wstrict-prototypes -MMD -MQ 'libinput-record@exe/tools_libinput-record.c.o' -MF 'libinput-record@exe/tools_libinput-record.c.o.d' -o 'libinput-record@exe/tools_libinput-record.c.o' -c ../tools/libinput-record.c
../tools/libinput-record.c:41:10: fatal error: libinput-git-version.h: Aucun fichier ou dossier de ce type
 #include "libinput-git-version.h"
          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
[39/306] Generating doxygen with a custom command.
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

[Peter Hutterer (peter-hutterer)]

that build error was just fixed in git (f734e973be202141), please try again

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

ok.

The issue is completely fixed running latest commits, Wayland or X. Tested only on my Dell 7510.
I checked logs, only one error related to libinput FYI, see attachment.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

it seems to wooble few seconds and after that it does no more wooble.
AFAIK it's intended, first testing if the cursor woobles ?

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

1.10.2 version is available in Debian (-> users experiencing the same issue) :
https://packages.debian.org/sid/libinput10
Waiting upload to Ubuntu :-) .

Thanks Daniel & Peter, it's fine now.

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Forgot to say that obviously I successfully tested this 1.10.2 version !

[Francois Thirioux (fthx)]

Checked and approved running my HP laptop too.