Build a better trackpad

[ewx]

I don't have even the faintest idea if this is possible, but: what trackpads really need is the ability to tell what finger you're using. Index finger should mean left click and middle finger right click. (And the other way round for left-handers, but of course so are the buttons.)

Comments

[mdw [distorted.org.uk] (from livejournal.com)]

An ancient laptop I had did what I think is the most sensible approximation I've seen to this so far.

If you tap with one finger, it decides that it was a button-1 click. If you tap with two fingers, that's a button-2 click. If you tap with three fingers, it's a button-3 click. If you tap (with any number of fingers) and quickly start moving your finger on the touchpad (with just one finger), then it decides that you're dragging, with whichever mouse button you selected with the initial tap.

The only thing you couldn't do with this laptop was chording. Which annoyed users of wily and not many others.

I've no idea why this (otherwise distressingly standard) laptop had such a sensibly configured touchpad, or why other laptops in the intervening decade haven't adopted this feature. Oh, well.