Why is HAL being made the default when it's not ready?

[Bo Grimes]

On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 05:54:45PM +0900, Dave M G wrote:
> Ubuntu Users / Developers,
> 
> I got Intrepid Ibex 8.10 installed, and now my Wacom tablet totally 
> sucks. The eraser and mouse don't work, the stylus is stuck in 
> "absolute" mode...
> 
> I looked on the 'net and discovered that this is because Ubuntu is now 
> using something called "HAL" for handling all input. I'm sure there's 
> some good reason for doing that... but how about doing it *when it's ready*?


I'm no expert, but HAL (hardware abstraction layer) is not a new thing in
Linux (Solaris, BSD, Mac or Windows for that matter).  It's not like Ubuntu
is rolling out some alpha software.  Those routines exist in other versions,
so I'm not sure you've correctly identified the problem.

> 
> I tried using the instructions at 
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wacom , but the "Manual setup using 
> xorg.conf" results in either X being completely hosed, or my Wacom 
> tablet not working at all.
> 
> Since Intrepid blew away my previous Hardy boot options (which, I didn't 
> really want it to do, but that's another story), I'm now stuck with a 
> tablet that is almost unusable.

I assume you backup before upgrading, so go back to Hardy until yu feel
Intrepid is ready.

> 
> I believe the current internet vernacular for this situation is 
> something like "Ubuntu HAL upgrade = FAIL".

Um...a friendly piece of advice.  Before addressing developers who put
together fantastic software that doesn't cost you a dime, you might want to
get your facts straight.  I bet your left nut that Intrepid isn't the first
Ubuntu to use HAL.  Even if it were, a little humility and gratitude is in
order, especially if you upgraded with no backup.

> 
> So how long do I have to push back any graphics projects while waiting 
> for Wacom support to work again?


If I were a developer and got that kind of feedback...