#8071 HIGH 8.2.0 (: please please *please* don't use a capacitive touchpad in the next round of hardware!

[Zarro Boogs per Child]

#8071: please please *please* don't use a capacitive touchpad in the next round of
hardware!
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 Reporter:  dilinger  |         Owner:  wad                 
     Type:  defect    |        Status:  new                 
 Priority:  high      |     Milestone:  8.2.0 (was Update.2)
Component:  hardware  |       Version:  not specified       
 Keywords:            |   Next_action:  never set           
 Verified:  0         |     Blockedby:                      
 Blocking:            |  
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 Our current touchpad sucks rocks.  Part of that is due to known hardware
 bugs.  However, part of it is due to the fact that we're using a
 technology (capactive touchpad) which is incompatible with the
 environments that we're trying to use it in.

 Capacitance + hot, humid climates is a known bad combination.  If the new
 touchpad hardware is also capacitive, I fear people in these climates will
 find them unusable.  AFAIK, the decision to use a new capacitive touchpad
 has already been made without evaluating alternatives; I fear that this is
 a huge mistake.

 To quote others who've pointed out touchpad problems:

 {{{
 20:02  erikg> also problematic
 20:02  erikg> is that people who work in fields tend to have calloused
 fingers
 20:02  erikg> and have trouble with the touchpad as-is
 }}}

 {{{
 20:06  smithbone> reports are they they have trouble with the pad even
 when
                   non-jumpy.
 20:07  smithbone> and thats a much larger movement than the fine motor
 control
 }}}

 Please consider switching to something not capacitive; a thinkpad-style
 trackpoint, or another type of resistive pad.  Obviously, they'd need to
 be tested on actual kids first.  I realize this is urgent, but capacitive
 touchpads are so awful..

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Ticket URL: <http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/8071>
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