Trackball and graphics tablet recommendations

[Vulpes Velox]

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 02:00:06 +0100
Jon Mercer <jon.mercer at achean.com> wrote:

> On Fri, 2005-06-10 at 19:05 -0500, Vulpes Velox wrote:
> > On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 13:57:56 +0100 (BST)
> > "Jon Mercer" <jon.mercer at achean.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > 
> > > On Fri, June 10, 2005 12:14, Mario Hoerich said:
> > > > # Vulpes Velox:
> > > >> "Jon Mercer" <jon.mercer at achean.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > [ graphics tablet and FreeBSD? ]
> > > >> > Only restriction is that it has to be relatively recent
> > > >> > (i.e. still in the shops) and most of the functionality
> > > >> > should work. PS2 or USB doen't matter.
> > > > [...]
> > > >> Not sure about tablets. You may want to check on the USB
> > > >> list to see what the status of the Wacom ones are.
> > > >
> > > > USB tablets won't work, I think (see
> > > > <URL:http://linuxwacom.sourceforge.net/index.php/howto/all>).
> > > > |
> > > > | I recognize that FreeBSD and similar systems have USB
> > > > support; | however, until someone can bridge the gap between
> > > > the FreeBSD | kernel and the XFree86 driver, the problem is
> > > > largely unsolved.
> > > >
> > > > I've googled quite extensively for that a while back and came
> > > > up with pretty much nothing (except for some posters whose
> > > > questions about tablets remained unanswered).
> > > >
> > > > I'd actually love to be proved wrong here. ;)
> > 
> > I remember doing the same several months back. From what I
> > remember finding is that it was fixed in netbsd. No clue if it
> > ever got copied over.
> > 
> > > > Cheers,
> > > > Mario
> > > > --
> > > >  "Für Gegner der Reform wird ein Wagen, der an die Wand
> > > > gefahren wurde, nicht dadurch wieder flott, dass man zwei
> > > > seiner Räder für intakt erklärt."
> > > >            -- Hermann Unterstöger, SZ, über die
> > > > Rechtschraipreform
> > > >
> > > 
> > > Well I've done a bit of research now and decided on a Logitech
> > > Optical Trackman and given up on the idea of a tablet, the
> > > serial ones cost around £400 and that's too much for the use
> > > it'd get. Shame, I'd have enjoyed a new toy...
> > 
> > See if you can find a old Acecad Acecat Flair. It is serial but
> > works pretty decent.y
> 
> I'll keep an eye out. Shame about the Wacom USB ones (albeit
> they're not cheap), they look pretty good. A case of the more you
> see the more you want...
> 
> On a really positive note I have to retrain myself to use a scroll
> wheel with the trackman optical cordless now I got it working. I'm
> still going to the right every time I want to move down.
> 
> In fact the documentation or getting odd rodents working under X is
> not well documented in the handbook. Anyone wanna take me up on
> that in the doc list?

I just plugged my mouse in and it worked. AFAIK you don't have to do
any thing moused if it is started at boot time. You will have to mess
with X to get the scroll wheel working.


Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse0"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "Protocol" "auto"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/sysmouse"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection



Hmm... I wonder if that is in the handbook...