Laptop Touchpad Improvements, New Joystick Driver For Linux 5.10

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Laptop Touchpad Improvements, New Joystick Driver For Linux 5.10

The Linux 5.10 merge window is closing this weekend but there still is new code landing for this last complete kernel series of 2020...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-5.10-Input-Updates

[timofonic]

ADC Joystick driver for supporting joysticks connected via ADC controllers interfacing with the Industrial I/O subsystem in the kernel.

Can someone please explain this and the potential use cases?

[skeevy420]

Can someone please explain this and the potential use cases?

In my head I imagine playing the Claw Game up front of stores from anywhere in the world....which could be a great business opportunity if set up right...but I think they're actually doing useful things like welding & moving nuclear waste around remotely...not getting money out of uncoordinated people.

Think about it -- just buy a bunch of overstock crap on the cheap and throw them in different claw machines at different monetary values and throw in one or two nice items; either a dollar or two a play with you win, you pay the shipping or start at $10/play to cover shipping since most flat rates start around $7. From there all you'd need need is a webcam or two per machine, a room, and a small amount people to cover the grunt work of dumping crap in the right machine and shipping winnings. With enough time and programming the majority of the work could be automated.

[zear]

Can someone please explain this and the potential use cases?

On handheld devices, joystick/nub is usually connected directly to the on-board ADC controller, as opposed to, say, USB.
Historically, this was handled by custom drivers. Now this can be delegated to this generic driver, as long as the ADC controller registers in the IIO subsystem.
This patch directly benefits a range of existing devices, including GCW Zero and Anbernic RG350. I also know of at least one Android developer who showed interest in this driver during its development phase.

[ssokolow]

In my head I imagine playing the Claw Game up front of stores from anywhere in the world....which could be a great business opportunity if set up right...but I think they're actually doing useful things like welding & moving nuclear waste around remotely...not getting money out of uncoordinated people.

Think about it -- just buy a bunch of overstock crap on the cheap and throw them in different claw machines at different monetary values and throw in one or two nice items; either a dollar or two a play with you win, you pay the shipping or start at $10/play to cover shipping since most flat rates start around $7. From there all you'd need need is a webcam or two per machine, a room, and a small amount people to cover the grunt work of dumping crap in the right machine and shipping winnings. With enough time and programming the majority of the work could be automated.

It's been done. Here's an article from 2015:

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-ne...panese-arcades

Sega started experimenting with it this year:

https://www.polygon.com/mobile/2020/1/23/21079145/sega-catcher-online-claw-game-japan-iphone-android-ufo-catcher/