Re: Tablet PC support

> On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 [email protected] wrote:
>
>> My hardware is a rugged Tablet Pc which I use for navigation,
>> communication control and other functions at sea and as a mobile
>> computer
>> when in port. I would like to be able to run an **ix OS on this
>> hardware.
>> This Tablet is manufactured by Itronix (called a GoBook but not to be
>> confused with the pda of the same name) It uses a 933Mhz Pentium. While
>> installation can be accomplished with a conventional keyboard subsequent
>> text input would normally be via virtual keyboard (or voice commands).
>> This would mean login via an X interface. Ideally for both single and
>> multi-user purposes.I recognize that providing an X interface for single
>> user might present some challenges.
>>
>> Has anyone successfully installed Xfree on this on any other Tablet
>> system
>> and been able to boot and login without a USB keyboard? My preferred OS
>> is
>> freebsd or linux.
>
> If you configure a serial console in the kernel, the machine will
> boot without a keyboard.
> I've never tried it, so don't know what X will do with only a
> serial console to run on, but a "-novt" option was added to XFree86
> in v4.5, which might help.
>
> You can use the "void" input driver, so that the X server runs without
> a keyboard (or mouse):
>     Section "InputDevice"
>         Identifier  "noKeyboard"
>         Driver      "void"
>         Option  "SendCoreEvents" "true"
>     EndSection
>     Section "S
> erverLayout"
>         Identifier "test"
>         InputDevice     "noKeyboard"    "CoreKeyboard"
> 	...			...
>     EndSection
>
> I'm assuming you have a touch screen input driver, but if not your
> virtual keyboard could use the X-test extension to get the input
> into X (like the x2x app).
>
>
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Thanks for the reply it is an interesting one.


I am not familiar with the X-test extension and I do not have a driver for
the pressure sensitive Tablet (Wacom device) nor do I (as yet) have
detailed specification of the device.

In regard to the first I guess I had better do some research --

First I think it might be useful to those who are not familiar with
Tablets to describe how the interface works because it is different from
PDA whose stylus inputs lack the advanced features found in a Tablet.

The usual Tablet thing is to have a graphical image of a keyboard on
screen  from which the users selects the characters to "type" with the
stylus (virtual keyboard). This sounds very slow and cumbersome but in
practice I find it to be surprising fast especially for editing work where
the same device (stylus) combines the functions of mouse and keyboard.

When acting as a mouse the hardware detects the degree of pressure applied
on to the physical screen via the stylus. e.g. pressure of more than 50 =
right click (pressure is relayed in 256 steps).

There is also a button on the stylus which can be used (e.g. button click
= mouse center button). Text input via the virtual keyboard is normally
intiated by bringing taping the onscreen virtual keyboard icon and then
clicking in the appropriate window to provide a signal to start text
input.  The data is generated by stylus taps onto the virtual keyboard.
The virtual keyboard has the nornal shift/control "keys" which when tapped
change the characters appearing on the remaider of the "keyboard" to be
Caps or control chars or whatever is required by the operating system (or
program receiving the input). This has a really great potential for
customizing the keyboard to meet the needs of differing applications!!

So on boot there is a need to get X to present a virtual keyboard which
would be used for login. Whilst I know what is needed I do not, at this
point, have the foggiest notion of how to go about achieving it <<GRINZ>>
I am in the position of hoping someone that someone has already invented
it!!! But if not hoping to combine with others to meet the need -- the MS$
version works quite well BUT because it is not open source you cannot play
with the virtual keyboard to give you the interface you actually want!!
You have to work with what Bill gives you -- so here I think is a big
advantage for Xfree and **ix systems to offer much greater flexibility
than MS$ could ever offer.

The 80G drive has arrived and I am going to try and load freebsd onto the
system sometime this and see what happens. If in the meantime anyone can
add  further technical encouragement it will be gratefully received.

David


English Owner & Captain of British Registered 60' bluewater Ketch S/V Taurus.