Ubuntu Picks Up X Input 2 Support In PPA

With the release of X Server 1.7 as part of X.Org 7.5 hopefully coming in July, X Input 2 will finally be entering the limelight after being long in development. This updated X Input Extension is critical in allowing Multi-Pointer X support in this next X Server release.

As X Input 2 could potentially pose a few problems for applications that depend upon this server extension, Thomas Jaeger has assembled a Launchpad PPA (Personal Package Archive) for Ubuntu that provides the latest development code that supports Xi2. In the xorg-xi2 PPA is an early snapshot of X Server 1.7, a pre-release of the xf86-input-evdev 2.3 driver, and newer versions of X Input, x11proto-input, wacom-tools, Mesa, libXi, and asciidoc.

Jaeger's announcement of these X Input 2 testing packages for Ubuntu can be read on the Ubuntu X.Org mailing list. Assuming the release of X.Org 7.5 does not get pushed back any further, the newest packages should land in time for the release of Ubuntu 9.10 thereby providing plenty of goodness for allowing multiple pointers on the Linux desktop.