Heads up: X server configuration changes

[Michal Hlavinka]

On Tuesday 16 February 2010 08:47:20 Peter Hutterer wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 08:25:54AM +0100, Michal Hlavinka wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > > So you're running an X server? Well, my lad or lass, sit down and let
> > > me tell you about the neverending story of X server input
> > > configuration changes that has hopefully ended now.
> > > I'm just pushing the latest X server goodness into rawhide and enabling
> > > udev, completing (from the X server's POV) the excision of the hardware
> > > abstraction layer that shall not be named.
> > > 
> > > >From F9 to including F12 (and rawhide until today) we've used hal to
> > > 
> > > discover the input devices. For lack of better options, this means that
> > > many configurations have moved into fdi files. As you may know, hal is
> > > deprecated and as much as fdi files may be pleasing to the eyes,
> > > there's just no future in them. You'll just have to let it go, even if
> > > it hurts.
> > > 
> > > Instead, we have the newest latest and greatest bits, namely
> > > xorg.conf.d support and InputClasses. You can drop configuration files
> > > into the new directory and the server will pick it up on startup.
> > > e.g. /etc/xorg.conf.d/foobar.conf
> > > "A configuration directory? Is this even possible?" you say? I know, it
> > > sounds mightily advanced but we have to keep surfing the wave of new
> > > technological achievements.
> > > 
> > > The existing section types in xorg.conf(5) weren't really suitable, so
> > > we now have something that resembles the functionality provided by
> > > hal's fdi files. A section of type InputClass will match against
> > > multiple devices and even hotplugged ones - depending on the match
> > > rules. An example section looks like this:
> > > 
> > > Section "InputClass"
> > > 
> > >         Identifier "superhero mouse config"
> > >         MatchIsPointer "on"
> > >         MatchProduct "Mighty Mouse"
> > >         Driver "evdev"
> > >         Option "X-Ray vision" "on"
> > > 
> > > EndSection
> > > 
> > > Any pointer device that contains "Mighty Mouse" in its product name
> > > will match against this section and be added with the evdev driver and
> > > the options as specified. That's just one example, I've tried to
> > > detail the new configurations on our wiki.
> > > https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Input_device_configuration
> > > If you think there's anything missing, please let me know or add it
> > > yourself.
> > 
> > How is this going to affect some users that don't read release notes nor
> > fedora devel list? Also, I have some configuration in fdi files (for
> > touchpad for example). Will it still work with some (not too much
> > visible?) complains in logs "this is deprecated"? Will it stop working
> > without any information in logs? ...
> 
> hmm, at this point, yes, pretty much.
> The fdi files are merged in by HAL itself and their content is part of the
> information that HAL provides to the server. since the server doesn't
> listen to HAL anymore, this information gets ignored.
> All you'll see in the log is that it now says "udev" where it used to say
> "HAL".
> 
> I can put a giant warning into the log that if input devices don't work
> then the users should have a look at the website above for
> reconfiguration. How does that sound? Do you have any better suggestions?

Are existing *.fdi files going to be used by something (except hal itself)? If 
not, hal should be complaining during start up about "deprecated configuration 
found".

Also, is this 1:1 change or was something "improved", so we can see changes in 
behavior for touchpad or anything else?

> 
> Cheers,
>   Peter