Kde-config-touchpad vs kde-config-synaptiks

[Doug]

On 08/17/2011 09:01 PM, Eric Griffith wrote:
> Apologies if this is to the wrong list, but can one of the devs (or
> someone who's familiar with the ubuntu packages) Tell me exactly what
> the difference is between the 2 packages above?
>
> 99% of Distros seem to default to kde-config-touchpad which places
> itself under System Settings>  Input Devices
>
> But so far, Ubuntu is the ONLY distro (not even stock debian) that I
> have seen that packages "kde-config-synapiks" ...and I have no clue
> what on earth it is.
>
>   Synaptiks seems to install it as a seperate application, coming up in
> KDE if I search "Synaptiks" which installs itself as a daemon, and
> allows me to, in a GUI form, disable the touchpad automatically if an
> external USB is plugged in, ignoring specific external mouses, disable
> the touchpad while typing; and those are things that the standard
> kde-config-touchpad that all other distros  ship just can't do and its
> a really big pain when I keep bumping the mouse and knocking focus all
> over the place. (Currently on Fedora, thinking of moving back to Arch;
> and neither has Synaptiks available, well maybe in the AUR but still)
>
> I sent this to Ubuntu-users cuz I'm not actually 100% convinced that
> kde-config-snaptiks IS a kde-module, and not just a GUI to handle
> mouse events and parameters
>
I am using synaptiks on a Dell Laptop under PCLOS, and nothing I know of
can do what it does. Without any messing around, you plug in the external
pointing device (I use a Kensington trackball when I'm on a table) and
it switches off the trackpad and its buttons, and takes over control.
Pull out the usb plug, and you're back to the trackpad operation.  No
switching off, logging out, no diddling around, it just works like a
switch, in both directions. AFAIK, it's only available under KDE, there's
nothing in Debian or Gnome that works like that, that I ever saw.

--doug

-- 
Blessed are the peacemakers...for they shall be shot at from both sides. --A. M. Greeley