
Making the Best of MacBook Air Touchpad on Ubuntu - eterps
https://int3ractive.com/2018/09/make-the-best-of-MacBook-touchpad-on-Ubuntu.html
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thristian
I'm happy enough with the libinput driver that I don't want to go building a
whole custom driver from source, but I really liked the "pixel-perfect
scrolling in Firefox" tip at the end.

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ChristianBundy
Same. I moved from Chrome OS to Arch Linux and this was one of the few things
I missed.

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thedanbob
Thank you for posting this! I recently installed linux on my MacBook Air and
the biggest thing I missed from macOS was how nice the trackpad was,
especially scroll inertia and 3-finger drag. Now I'm completely happy with my
decision to switch.

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MattyRad
Really happy to see I'm not the only one using Ubuntu on a MacBook air! If
anyone is looking for the most customizable Ubuntu desktop (and my favorite
window manager since 2010), I highly recommend compiz!

> sudo apt-get install gnome-session-flashback compiz compiz-core compiz-
> plugins compiz-plugins-default compiz-plugins-extra compiz-plugins-main
> compiz-plugins-main-default compiz-plugins-main-dev compizconfig-settings-
> manager

You'll log out of GNOME, click the settings cog, and select Flashback-Compiz.
Then you'll see a wonderfully clean desktop, and then you can go into
Applications -> Administration -> Compiz Config Settings, and you'll have
complete and total control over your desktop!

This video is kind of gaudy but it might help explain what's possible:
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Jb7kFWTj28g](https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Jb7kFWTj28g)
MINUS the horrible sidebar, that will be replaced with an upper toolbar
similar to Mac.

I actually have a proper write-up for how to get the Ubuntu Desktop you
deserve using compiz, but it's very much a WIP unfortunately.

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rhodysurf
This is cool, but this doesn't really work when you are running a wayland
session. Also the default libinput driver on wayland already catches
multitouch events with macbook without issues. The window manager just has to
handle them.

I have done some exploring to get better touchpad gestures with gnome on
wayland: [https://github.com/mpiannucci/gnome-shell-extended-
gestures](https://github.com/mpiannucci/gnome-shell-extended-gestures) . Its
an incomplete project that I work on slowly when I get the time between my job
and freelancing, but slowly coming along and meets my personal needs fine.

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floatboth
> Pinch gestures are not handled or configured

Why would the shell ever touch (hah) these? Pinch gestures are handled by apps
like Evince and EoG for smooth zooming already!

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rhodysurf
Maybe pinch gestures are not the right way to put it. Maybe spread is better?
Like with 3 or four fingers spreading from or converging to center. MacOS can
handle it fine.

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floatboth
Oh. That. The one that revealed your desktop, right.

