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GPL Linux Driver For The Synaptics cPad

Posted by timothy on from the snazzy-interface dept.

jki writes "A historical moment for Openchallenge as a challenge has now went through the full circle. 18th August Mace Moneta submitted a challenge to develop open source Linux drivers for the Synaptics cPad (cPad is an LCD-equipped touchpad that provides notebook users with a secondary display as well as touch interface and navigation) integrated to Toshiba Satellite 5100-501 for example. Now, today Rob Miller submitted the solution implementing GPL'd Linux drivers. I am so thrilled to see Openchallenge really working -- I hope this opens the flood gates!"

12 comments

  1. Good for embedded Linux? by bradams · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think this would be a good display / input option for single board computers (SBC) that do not need a full time display.

    Plug it in, check the config, move on to the next...

    --
    I like to build things and wire stuff together.
  2. kindegarten-level reading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A historical moment for Openchallenge as a challenge has now went through the full circle.

    ... has now gone through...

    fucking kids. learn yerself a little english.

    1. Re:kindegarten-level reading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      kindegarten-level reading

      ...kindergarten.

  3. Competition to MS's Pen Tablets! by JessLeah · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How hard would it be for a hobbyist geek to use one of these devices, commodity hardware, and a little cleverness (like that of those Mac hackers who would take apart a Powerbook, flip the keyboard back behind the display, mount it on a stand, and call it an iMac Jr.) to design the "OpenTablet" spec?

    Someone could make a fortune selling do-it-yourself kits with instructions... and of course the specs could be made open, for those of us (not me!) handy enough with a soldering iron and whatnot to make it ourselves...

    A pen tablet running something like Debian... would easily be the perfect antidote to MS's admittedly nifty-looking new pen tablets :)

    --
    Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
    1. Re:Competition to MS's Pen Tablets! by Bob+The+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      Hmmm.... so let me see if I've got this right...

      1) Sell do it yourself kit for OpenTablet for the huge audience of Open Source geeks who want a tablet PC running Linux
      2) Open specs so that any geek with skill can make changes themselves
      3) ???
      4) Profit!!!

      ?

    2. Re:Competition to MS's Pen Tablets! by zog+karndon · · Score: 1

      Rather hard, as the resolution on a synaptics cPad is around 128 x 128 monochrome. A friend of mine has one on his Toshiba laptop, and while it's kinda cute, it's not terribly useful.

  4. the old Touchpad by Nicolay77 · · Score: 1

    This is cool.

    I have and old Synaptics touchpad, like 4 years old, and the only driver linux people were able to do was to remove the tapping feature. What a stupid thing.

    I really like the scrolling, and it only works, as always, in windows. This new driver, for a more advanced touchpad, is a welcome thing.

    --
    We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
  5. Re:third post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am challenged