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Linux MPX Multi-touch Alternative to MS Surface

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the touch-me-there-no-lower-no-a-little-lower dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Gizmodo has published an article (with video) on the Linux-based free alternative to MS Surface along with a quite interesting interview with its creator, Peter Hutterer. "It may not be as fancy-schmancy as Microsoft Surface or Jeff Han's demos but this video of a Linux-based MPX multi-touch table shows that things are moving full speed ahead in the land of the free penguins. We talked with developer Peter Hutterer, who gave us his insight on the project, the iPhone and the ongoing multi-touch craze." He talks about Jeff Han's work, MS Surface and defines the iPhone as "not the first in what it's doing, but definitely a huge impact" in the field."

12 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. MultiMeh... by pohl · · Score: 4, Funny

    Meh. All this multitouch hype is such a fad. Sure, it's great eye candy, but it's totally impractical. Do you really think that shit is going to scale down to the size of a phone!? Oh, wait...

    --

    The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...

    1. Re:MultiMeh... by pasamio · · Score: 4, Interesting

      To be honest I use the multitouch trackpad on my Macbookpro all of the time. Two finger tap for right click, two finger drag for scrolling with the usual single finger tap for left click and single finger drag for normal drag. Multitouch in a small sense is something that I miss when I go to another laptop because I instinctively two finger tap trackpads to try to right click. No need to scroll in a special part of the track pad, no need to press a special part for left and right click. Just the gesture anywhere on the trackpad. Thats multitouch for me in action and working.

      --
      I always wondered where this setting was...
  2. "schmancy"? well la-di-da by icepick72 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It may not be as fancy-schmancy as Microsoft Surface

    I love how the community words stuff, sounds like a child being envious of big brother syndrome. I don't consider Microsoft offerings superior to others, just pointing out the wording and what is sounds like. I hear that kind of stuff way too often. Linux should be comfortable in what it is and not feel the need to compare.

    1. Re:"schmancy"? well la-di-da by CaptainPatent · · Score: 4, Funny

      I love how the community words stuff, sounds like a child being envious of big brother syndrome. I don't consider Microsoft offerings superior to others... So would I be correct in assuming you're saying: "Microsoft Shmicrosoft?"
      --
      Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
    2. Re:"schmancy"? well la-di-da by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
      Once I saw them call themselves the slashdot for people who actually have touched a woman or something like that.

      Sure, until now. But with vi running on my coffee table, things are going to change around here!

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  3. So, does this mean... by jcr · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that someday soon, we can run Linux on a big-ass table?

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  4. Why not... by virgil_disgr4ce · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Build your own multi-touch sensitive display device? It's surprisingly easy:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/EJIXKOEF3ER7VN5/?A LLSTEPS

    --
    Limina.Log
  5. Actually it's more impressive... by kebes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know what makes the video demo in TFA more impressive that the Microsoft Surface demos I've seen?

    This demo uses real applications! It's easy for MS (or whoever) to throw together a video of someone using a neat interface. You see all kinds of slick animations of photo-libraries and data being automatically uploaded to cellphones. The problem is it's probably all fake--the visual equivalent of a mockup. Basically they are showing you the way they *hope* it will look at work. If you look at some of the older Vista demos (before it was released) you'll see alot of mockup video that was never realized into actual code.

    In this demo, they actually start by using Google Earth and scrolling through webpages. The fact that they are using real applications is much more impressive. It makes me believe that they may have something functional in a reasonable amount of time. It also shows that they are thinking about it as an extensible platform that can run generic software, rather than something locked-down that will only run approved code (i.e. just a really big PDA interface, rather than a novel way to interface with existing computer hardware and software).

    1. Re:Actually it's more impressive... by dave420 · · Score: 4, Informative

      How is it impressive? The microsoft demo showed a mobile phone being put on the table, it being recognised, and files being sent to/from the device. That's not been done before in such a fashion. Having google maps on a touch-screen isn't new in the slightest. It's not integrating anything new. The MS device had a whole different bunch of applications shown on it. As it can be so much more than just a desktop - a new way of interacting with a computer - showing it acting as a desktop is a bit short-sighted and uninspired :)

      Or do you think MS were somehow incapable of getting google earth to run on a computer? Because that's the only assertion you've made that, if true, would make this offering "more impressive" than that from MS. Or, maybe, these guys didn't have the ability to make new applications, and had no choice but to use some really basic stuff somoene else had made, that's been knocking around for years?

  6. Software! by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You know, Microsoft didn't invent this multi-touch stuff, and neither did Apple. Its been around as research projects for years. So why is the MS version such a big deal?

    Software!

    See, the real hard part about all this is the fact that you need to come up with a completely new set of UI conventions and implement a completely new set of applications in order to make it a useable product. Until now with MS, nobody's done that.

    From the article, this MPX thing seems to consist of nothing more than a modified X server, running "normal" (i.e., designed for a single cursor) applications. Therefore, it is not nearly as impressive as the MS Surface.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  7. demo shows flakiness by edxwelch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Did anyone notice in that video that he had to click couple times to get some of the widgets to activate?
    Maybe the mouse still has some advantage?

  8. Re:Question: Common Practical Uses? by Tabernaque86 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Any company that has a drafting department should love it. Just develop a CAD program so you can work on a drawing on an actual "page" that could be displayed at 24"x36".

    Also, save the CAD file to a PDF, e-mail it to the client, and he can view the drawing package in full on their table, "Red Line" it/mark it up, save it, and e-mail it back.

    Considering a package can run from ten to a hundred drawings, this potentially saves a ton of paper and other resources.