Re: [SLUG] gpm doesn't seem to work on Debian

From: Levi Bard (levi@bard.sytes.net)
Date: Tue Apr 01 2003 - 14:41:16 EST


>> I've install gpm in Debian. and looking at my mouse on the two systems
>> they are different.
>> Redhat:
>> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root /dev/mouse -> psaux
>> Debian:
>> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root /dev/mouse -> gpmdata
>>
>> when I installed gpm in Debian I was presented with /dev/psaux as my
>> mouse device. But for the life of me I can't seem to be able to high
>> lite text in a console window with Debian.

OK, here's the deal as I remember it (I just use [aex]term now, rather
than console). /dev/psaux is the "real" device for a mouse on the ps2
mouse port. Once you use gpm, however, it interferes with the raw data
from /dev/psaux, so that if you set another program, X for example, to
read from /dev/psaux while gpm is running, the second program will get bad
data, and it will work incorrectly. Now, gpm echoes "good" data on
/dev/gpmdata, so that gpm and another program (X) can both use input from
the mouse. So, Debian sets gpm to read from /dev/psaux, then links
/dev/mouse to /dev/gpmdata so that X will still work without a rewrite of
your XF86Config(assuming you used the default device of /dev/mouse, rather
than the raw /dev/psaux).

Levi



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