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Linux touchpad like a Mac update: Firefox gesture support live in nightly

65 points by arbruijn 6y ago

nikolay 6y ago
If only non-Apple touchpads were as good as Apple's...
- totalZero 6y ago
  Agreed. Gestures are only part of the experience. The input device itself matters too.
  - nikolay 6y ago
    This has always been the striking difference between the MacBook touchpad and any Windows/Linux laptop, even the most premium one. And I'm not talking only as size although that makes a difference, too!
  - acct776 6y ago
    The significance of the project is that there isn't much difference, and the smoothness is largely attributed to driver effort.
  - Jnr 6y ago
    Use Linux on Macbook :)
- alexdme 6y ago
  Apple's touchpad works natively out of the box on Linux and has for many years. I use a magic touchpad 2 on Archlinux for my daily driver.
  - nikolay 6y ago
    I know this is possible, but to me the most ergonomic setup is the way it is on MacBooks. Having it on the side does not work for me.
    - ljosa 6y ago
      I put my Apple trackpad in front of my keyboard.
      - nikolay 6y ago
        I think, it would be best some keyboard manufacturer to invent a keyboard, which fits AROUND Apple trackpad, i.e. have keys on arcs, not on straight lines. This would be the best from ergonomics point of view, I think.
        narism 6y ago
        Get a split keyboard (ergodox/kinesis/etc) and put the trackpad in the middle?
- pwdisswordfish6 6y ago
  Such non-Apple laptops with high-quality touchpads exist. Ever used a good Chromebook? The segment making up most of the Linux-using crowd is either ignorant to the problem (not having used good hardware with MacBook-quality touchpads, so not knowing that touchpads don't have to be bad), or is unwilling to actually commit to the machines that come with them. Loud fans are another thing. I ordered a laptop from a prominent Linux laptop vendor, and it already seemed overpriced at the time of purchase, but I got assured by someone that it would be worth it. When it arrived, the fan noise and the fact that the touchpad was not just bad but actually the worst I'd ever used led to me wondering, "is this a joke?" (I sent it back after a week of dread and misery.) The fact that this was a flagship product is evidence of the wildly different standards of quality that come from personal experience, like people who just assume that things like their bathroom habits or their childhood upbringing are normal and shared by everyone.
  - toyg 6y ago
    Fans are my big worry, as I prepare to move off macs. An MBP is virtually fanless when not attached to an external monitor or strained by games. Not “there is a bit of a whirr but you get used to it” - it’s actual silence. It’s so difficult to get something like that from non-Apple, and it seems impossible with Linux. Unfortunately it’s also the sort of thing you cannot really judge by specs.
    - ktpsns 6y ago
      I have a ThinkPad X1 Yoga since five years (gen1, 2016-19, gen2 since last year) and it is silent 99% of the time. You have to run with full load several minutes for turning up the fan. This is especially valid for the aluminium ThinkPad. Running Linux on it, never Windows :)
  - acoard 6y ago
    What laptop did you order? Was it a Clevo?
kevincox 6y ago
> the touchpad gesture support is already available in Firefox Nightly behind a hidden preference switch That's great. My touchpads support gestures but firefox just ignored them. However I am looking for three-finger swipes for back/forward/close tab/scroll to top. (Customizable in about:config). However this post doesn't have any links to the bugs or even name the preference! If I tried this out and it worked I would start contributing immediately but it doesn't have any info.
- andrewmackrodt 6y ago
  If you run Gnome and Wayland it's possible to configure universal 3 finger gestures using an extension, e.g. I have back and forward configured via extended gestures, this works in Nautilus, Firefox and any other apps that have bindings for back and forward.

65 points by arbruijn 6y ago

nikolay 6y ago

If only non-Apple touchpads were as good as Apple's...

totalZero 6y ago
Agreed. Gestures are only part of the experience. The input device itself matters too.
- nikolay 6y ago
  This has always been the striking difference between the MacBook touchpad and any Windows/Linux laptop, even the most premium one. And I'm not talking only as size although that makes a difference, too!
- acct776 6y ago
  The significance of the project is that there isn't much difference, and the smoothness is largely attributed to driver effort.
- Jnr 6y ago
  Use Linux on Macbook :)
alexdme 6y ago
Apple's touchpad works natively out of the box on Linux and has for many years. I use a magic touchpad 2 on Archlinux for my daily driver.
- nikolay 6y ago
  I know this is possible, but to me the most ergonomic setup is the way it is on MacBooks. Having it on the side does not work for me.
  - ljosa 6y ago
    I put my Apple trackpad in front of my keyboard.
    - nikolay 6y ago
      I think, it would be best some keyboard manufacturer to invent a keyboard, which fits AROUND Apple trackpad, i.e. have keys on arcs, not on straight lines. This would be the best from ergonomics point of view, I think.
      - narism 6y ago
        Get a split keyboard (ergodox/kinesis/etc) and put the trackpad in the middle?
pwdisswordfish6 6y ago
Such non-Apple laptops with high-quality touchpads exist. Ever used a good Chromebook? The segment making up most of the Linux-using crowd is either ignorant to the problem (not having used good hardware with MacBook-quality touchpads, so not knowing that touchpads don't have to be bad), or is unwilling to actually commit to the machines that come with them. Loud fans are another thing. I ordered a laptop from a prominent Linux laptop vendor, and it already seemed overpriced at the time of purchase, but I got assured by someone that it would be worth it. When it arrived, the fan noise and the fact that the touchpad was not just bad but actually the worst I'd ever used led to me wondering, "is this a joke?" (I sent it back after a week of dread and misery.) The fact that this was a flagship product is evidence of the wildly different standards of quality that come from personal experience, like people who just assume that things like their bathroom habits or their childhood upbringing are normal and shared by everyone.
- toyg 6y ago
  Fans are my big worry, as I prepare to move off macs. An MBP is virtually fanless when not attached to an external monitor or strained by games. Not “there is a bit of a whirr but you get used to it” - it’s actual silence. It’s so difficult to get something like that from non-Apple, and it seems impossible with Linux. Unfortunately it’s also the sort of thing you cannot really judge by specs.
  - ktpsns 6y ago
    I have a ThinkPad X1 Yoga since five years (gen1, 2016-19, gen2 since last year) and it is silent 99% of the time. You have to run with full load several minutes for turning up the fan. This is especially valid for the aluminium ThinkPad. Running Linux on it, never Windows :)
- acoard 6y ago
  What laptop did you order? Was it a Clevo?

kevincox 6y ago

> the touchpad gesture support is already available in Firefox Nightly behind a hidden preference switch That's great. My touchpads support gestures but firefox just ignored them. However I am looking for three-finger swipes for back/forward/close tab/scroll to top. (Customizable in about:config). However this post doesn't have any links to the bugs or even name the preference! If I tried this out and it worked I would start contributing immediately but it doesn't have any info.

andrewmackrodt 6y ago
If you run Gnome and Wayland it's possible to configure universal 3 finger gestures using an extension, e.g. I have back and forward configured via extended gestures, this works in Nautilus, Firefox and any other apps that have bindings for back and forward.