Making Aiptek 12000U run on Ubuntu 8.04 - really don't know where to start

[quaternion]

Hello,

I am using Ubuntu 8.04 and an Aiptek 12000U tablet. I'd really like to
get it going, but the information I find confuses me.

I have found the aiptektablet project on sourceforge:
http://aiptektablet.sourceforge.net/ . I also I took a look at the
sourceforge page itself: http://sourceforge.net/projects/aiptektablet.
The only documentation I considered relevant was the WIP release,
which I didn't understand (I don't have profound knowledge of Linux,
e.g. I never edited the xorg.conf).
Also, I found a tutorial in the ubuntu documentation:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AiptekTablet . I was wondering about
that the tutorial does not use the aiptektablet sourceforge project at
all.

Actually, I don't know which documentation to follow. It would be
great if you could give me some orientation, something like: "Read
this link and follow this tutorial, and it'll (probably) (maybe)
work!"

Also, just to point that out: I tried the Aiptek 12000U both on
Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) and on 8.04 (Hardy, which I'm currently using),
and it had the same effect: It basically works, it's just not pressure
sensitive.

Unfortunately, Ubuntu forums (both the German speaking one and
the official big one) couldn't help me, simply nobody replied. Maybe
you can tell me how to proceed...

I'd be really grateful!

Greetz,

Q.

[~Faust~]

Short version, pressure sensitivity under Linux only works for Wacom-tablets.

Long version (for you), the USB-port does communicate pressure-data under Linux, but there isn't a driver to take advantage of that. You want to code an open-source Aiptek-driver? A lot of people would really love that (Including me)

[Jem'ennuie]

Linux REALLY needs to get their driver support working, I can't get even get my ATI card to work properly under Hardy.

It's like the only thing holding Linux back right now, but they have to start approaching companies and companies need to start approaching linux people and get the ball rolling.

Open source drivers are usually crap, they need to give ATI and other companies a kick in the rear so this driver support gets going.

[~Faust~]

I disagree. What's the problem in using Windows or OSX? Linux isn't there to make your life easy while not being evil corporate stuff. If you want to port your PC to it you should be aware that some of your hardware won't work. You can only be sure if you get your hardware beforehand and see you get a Nvidia-graphic, Wacom-tablet, compatible scanner, digicam etc. There's a lot of downsides to Linux with its drivers, it always has been and will be the main reason only a minority uses it.

Having said that, I'll never return to Microsoft nor apple :P

[Jem'ennuie]

Why would anyone use Linux if their drivers don't even work? Before you install Linux you have no clue if it will work.

Chances that video playback or basic rendering of KDE or Gnome doesn't work are huge with ATI cards.

That needs to be fixed, period, and the reason is all driver support. If Linux had better driver support I would not use windows. Linux distros have become less and less stable because driver support simply isn't there. I know novel has helped drivers a lot and actually talked to companies and got the ball rolling, but now it's up to ATI, Nvidia, Intel, Blizzard to support Linux and to Linux to reach out and throw away the idea that open source is good for everything.

Open source is great, but not for drivers, you need people from ATI, from Wacom, the actual manufacturers who build the hardware to help out, not some guy trying to patch up some broken driver because the company doesn't care. Unless driver support improves a lot, Linux will stay the red-headed stepchild for desktop users. Server support is ten times better for linux than desktop support.

[quaternion]

Hi again,

well, I'm a student and what I basically do with my computer is writing Latex documents, programming and surfing the internet. For this purpose, Linux is fantastic. I got everything working so far (also the printer), and I have well-working Linux versions of the tools I need (like Matlab, Mathematica). When it comes to painting, with my rather beginner's skills Gimp would be sufficient for a long time, I think.

Linux is really advantageous when it comes to security stuf, you hardly can catch a virus. Its also faster and won't feel more and more heavy and slow when you charge it with more software. There's no need to reinstall it every time, a system may run a year without becoming much slower that it was after the installation. So whenever I wanna paint something, I have to reboot my computer and start windows, then reboot Linux to work again. The Aiptek is the only piece of hardware that simply doesn't work...

[l33t fl33t]

Short version, pressure sensitivity under Linux only works for Wacom-tablets.


Actually, I *THINK* Graphire tablets have sensitivity support. I'm not entirely sure since I had mine for only a short while before it broke down.

[quaternion]

OK, that made me curious :-) I checked some Wacom models and I found that both the Graphire 4 Classic and the Bamboo fun small (prices >100€) have only an active space of A6, which should be a quater of A4 (A4 being the size of my Aiptek HyperPen 12000U). Actually, I think that 90% of my strokes ever done on my Aiptek I did within an area not much larger than A6. Still, it's strange. Is it really possible to paint on such a small area? Has somebody experience with that?

[~Faust~]

I use the bamboo-fun. Works for me with an A5. Not sure about A6 though. Maybe it's like painting on a DS :)

[l33t fl33t]

OK, that made me curious :-) I checked some Wacom models and I found that both the Graphire 4 Classic and the Bamboo fun small (prices >100€) have only an active space of A6, which should be a quater of A4 (A4 being the size of my Aiptek HyperPen 12000U). Actually, I think that 90% of my strokes ever done on my Aiptek I did within an area not much larger than A6. Still, it's strange. Is it really possible to paint on such a small area? Has somebody experience with that?

My sincerest apologies, it was not a Graphire, but a Genius tablet. I happen to have a Bamboo tablet and I can't say anything bad about it, but mind you, I'm a beginner so I don't know how weight much my opinion carries.