[EDIT] Why do I need mouse acceleration to move windows and click buttons?

[Dirk]

Ben Gamari wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 12:58 PM, Dirk <noisyb at gmx.net> wrote:
>> Well... the thing I tried to explain is that I (and other people) don't want
>> to /have/ to give a f***...
>>
>> 1) I plug in 2000 dpi mouse
>> 2) I move mouse 1 inch horizontally and/or vertically
>> 3) pointer moves 2000 pixels horizontally and/or vertically
>>
>> NO MATTER HOW FAST I MOVE THE MOUSE
>>
>>
>> that really is all that one cares about when he wants to use Linux for
>> gaming. PRECISION! Not useless Desktop features that interfere and make one
>> seriously freak out during an important match.
> I think you really hit the nail on the head here: "when he wants to
> use Linux for gaming." I think it's great that you use Linux as a
> gamer but you must realize that you are a minuscule minority. Just
> because you might need your mouse to move exactly 2.3442 pixels per
> millimeter doesn't mean that the rest of the world does as well.

And that's it?

>> You could completely remove mouse acceleration from the codebase and
>> increase the quality of Linux as a gaming system.
> We could and it might even improve the quality of Linux as a gaming
> system but the overall experience for most users would suffer
> tremendously. Pointer acceleration is a crucial part of the input
> system, especially as screen sizes increase.
>> People who believe they need an accelerated pointer to click buttons or move
>> windows are not bright enough to realize the absence of acceleration
>> anyways.
> That's just not true. Try using a laptop touchpad or pointing stick
> with infinite acceleration. You'll quickly give up in frustration. I
> even find that a standard mouse is unusable without acceleration. It's
> simply not possible to get both fine control and move across the
> screen at a reasonable rate.
> 
>> I know Windows has mouse acceleration too... but just because they call it a
>> feature it shouldn't be part of a Linux Desktop and enable itself, randomly,
>> over and over again.
> Exactly, the problem you are experiencing is not that we implement
> pointer acceleration; it's that it is repeatedly enabled against your
> wishes. Perhaps you should investigate why.

I did... I can't find the reason why it keeps getting enabled again.

End of story.

>> Right now I run a script that calls xset 30 times a minute with sleeps as a
>> cronjob to make sure it stays disabled.
>>
>> Before, I even sent my mouse back to the manufacturer because I thought it
>> was broken before I realized it was a problem with Linux so I guess I /am/ a
>> little annoyed.
>>
>> Not as much as i (e.g.) was before i uninstalled HAL to get control over my
>> Linux back. But still...
> If you have a problem with HAL, report a bug. Uninstalling isn't the
> answer. It is an increasingly common dependency on the desktop and for
> good reason.

I don't think I'll make them stop developing HAL. Because that would be 
the only thinkable solution for my problem with it and it's tendencies 
to steal the sovereignty over the operating system from the user.

Sovereignty which made me once switch to Linux.

HAL did cost me quite a few CD-R before I realized to make it stop 
trying to mounting the media while I was burning by de-installing it.

That should be all I have to say about it. As long as I can do what I 
want without HAL interfering, Linux remains my favourite option.