Ubuntu
xserver-xorg-input-synaptics package

  1. Bug #554980
  2. Comment #33

Comment 33 for bug 554980

Revision history for this message
John Baptist (jepst79) wrote : Re: two finger scroll/multitouch not working on lenovo thinkpad w510 having SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad..

Everyone wants Ubuntu to be as good as it can be. Idealistic notions aside, the fact is that there is a limited amount of manpower to attend to these bugs. So, in the interest of expediting a fix that will be adequate to the largest number of users, I'll compare these bugs:

bug 554980 can be fixed with a simple patch to gnome-mouse-properties. In fact, it was working in Jaunty, and this represents a regression. Multitouch emulation is in the system, it works, and it simply needs a GUI to activate it. This could even be done in lucid-updates.

bug 308191 touches a lot of packages and much of the required code isn't deployed. There is no way this can be done in Lucid and probably not even in Maverick. Even with a far-off, allegedly superior solution that would resolve bug 308191, the user experience would be exactly the same as if we fixed bug 554980. Genuine multitouch and multitouch emulation, at this point, are indistinguishable to an end user. And while "expert bug fixers" are spending time on a more difficult solution, they are neglecting other, far more serious, bugs.

So, we have to choose: if we value a user experience, which enables two-fingered scrolling in the near future, let's fix this bug. If we want to spend years in development creating the ultimate solution, while users get a sub-par operating system, then let's ignore this bug and focus on 308191.

In any case, this is not at all my decision to make. I'm just a user to would like to have a solution that works as soon as possible. If the Ubuntu community decides otherwise, so be it.

That's my last word on the subject.