the old keypad behavior gets too sensitive

[Paul Fox]

hi mikus --

i think you meant to write "touchpad" instead of "keypad"
throughout this mail. :-)

mikus wrote:
 > I usually operate my XO with an external USB trackball, and have no
 > problem with cursor positioning.  Lately I've often needed to operate
 > XOs (hdw early G1G1, but F11 build) with the native keypad, and I can
 > appreciate the many complaints I have heard about using the old keypad.
 > 
 > In my case, the keypad exhibits too much sensitivity.  Whenever the
 > humidity is low, just waving my fingers half an inch above the keypad is
 > enough to result in cursor position movement.  And the cursor jumps both
 > as I am bringing a finger (through the air) down onto the keypad, AND
 > when I am lifting the finger (through the air) away from the keypad.
 > [Also, just placing a finger at the "mouse buttons" at the bottom of the
 > keypad is often enough to cause the cursor position to change.]
 > 
 > Leaving the keypad alone (to give it time to self-calibrate) does not
 > seem to help.  The four-finger recalibrate works, but its effect soon
 > "wears off", and the keypad goes back to being "too sensitive" again.
 > 
 > 
 > Are there any software parameters that I can play with, to try to
 > "dampen" the unwanted cursor position changes that I'm seeing ?

not really, i'm afraid.  sounds like you have a very sensitive
touchpad.  the best advice i can give is to be sure never to have
two fingers on or two near the pad at once -- keep your thumbs high
while typing.  (and never use it with wet fingers, but i doubt
you're doing that.)

(i was about to suggest that as an experiment, you could try
switching to the experimental pentablet mode.  but i've just
booted an os13 machine, and for some reason the control for that
mode isn't present, which confuses me -- i need to investigate
why it isn't in that kernel.  in any case, i doubt you'll like
it, but you never know.  it requires very firm pressure, and
quickly becomes tiring, even when using a stylus.  but the cursor
_does_ go where you ask it to.)

paul
=---------------------
 paul fox, pgf at laptop.org