Re: The quest for rodent power

[Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com>]

"Karl E. Jorgensen" <karl@jorgensen.com> writes:

[...]

> I had a sudden thought: perhaps it is time to experiment with the mouse
> type for gpm (completely ignoring X for now).
>
> You've established beyond any doubt that it works in X as a PS/2 mouse
> - and hence the kernel, connection, physical mouse etc is OK. And that gpm
> does *not* like to interpret the mouse as a vanilla ps/2.
>
> The ps/2 code in gpm is probably not identical to the ps/2 code in
> the X server. And even when gpm is told to repeat in "raw" mode it will
> still try to interpret the incoming mouse events. I guess that it doesn't
> understand them - hence your "Error in protocl" in the gpm debug you
> posted earlier.
>
> In other words: X and gpm may well have different interpretations of
> "PS/2". (my guess/conclusion, not necessarily fact, but I think it makes
> sense).
>
> Try 
>     # gpm -t help
>
> to get a listing of mice that gpm understands. 
> In this list, these look like candidates for your logitec 3-button ps2:
>     autops2 # if you're lucky :-)
>     mman
>     logim
>     fups2
>     imps2  # only 'cause it was mentioned in your XF86Config-4 at some point
>     fuimps2 # same reason
>
> (and any other mouse type that catches your eye in gpm's list)
>
> So a few simple tests by running:
>
>     # gpm -D -m /dev/psaux -t {some gpm mouse type}
>
> should reveal what mouse type does (not) work for gpm. If one of them
> works, then you know what to put in /etc/gpm.conf. Tweaking the X config
> afterwards should then be easy: replacing /dev/psaux with /dev/gpmdata.

I may not have understood the task correctly.  Not sure what would
indicate working or not.  So assuming you mean fully work as in
having a mouse ... hehe.

I went thru the list you show above adding only ps2 and exps2  for
good measure.
   # gpm -D -m /dev/psaux -t {some gpm mouse type}

 With mman logim fups2 exps2 all give a hung terminal that appears
to be waiting for standard in.  Nothing is written to syslog except
the initial message (only once at the first invocation, not the others):
   Removing stale pid file /var/run/gpm.pid

Using these types: ps2 imps2 autops2 and fiups2

After about a one second pause gives the message:
      Alarm Clock
And then the terminal prompt reappears
No syslog is produced 


This may be a further diagnostic observation:

# gpm
 (just the bare command)
Will cause 3 lines in the center of my tty (console) to appear in
reverse video as if they had been hilighted by a mouse.

And ps waux|grep gpm will show that command running, until I kill it.
No syslog output is produced.