Hi!
I’m a long-time Apple user and I’m planning to switch to Purism products, because of privacy protection. As a first step, I’d like to get used to PureOS in my desktop. But I’m very used to multitouch gestures even with desktops (I no longer use a mouse, since years ago), and I happen to have an Apple Magic Trackpad. My question: Would it be possible to pair the Magic Trackpad with PureOS and use its multitouch gestures? Maybe installing some driver?
Thanks!!
ardi
Hi Ardi.
Short answer. I guess not.
Why? because Apple use a non-free software and drivers. So it would require hire a Reverse Ingeneer make a free driver for the Magic Trackpad.
The Solution
Use, support, and buy products that are completely free software, where the source code is available, so that all the software on your device can be controlled by the user, not the software giants who undermine digital rights.
Tonyp, the Magic Trackpad was reverse engineered long ago, IIRC. In fact, I successfully paired it in Ubuntu last year, and touchegg seemed to detect gestures correctly in the terminal. But in the GUI it wouldn’t work, no matter how I tried. So, my perception is that at least some driver in Ubuntu correctly gets multitouch gestures from the Magic Trackpad, but then maybe Ubuntu is broken in multitouch gestures.
May I ask what technology/driver does PureOS access for multitouch gestures? Is it touchegg? What drivers/modules do you need to configure if you use a supported multitouch device different to the builtin touchpad of the Librem 13/15 ?
Hi ardi!
Did you tried to use Magic Trackpad on PureOS? what was the result?
You don’t need to install PureOS to test Magic Trackpad. Just download the image and burn it on usb and boot your laptop from usb.