Logitech supports linux!

[efikkan]

With Logitech products, specifically their gamepads and such, the functionality is hit or miss. You can have an OpenSUSE box that recognizes a Logitech gamepad perfectly, an Ubuntu box that doesn't recognize all the buttons, and a Fedora box that doesn't recognize it at all. It's a real mess, despite the universal HID stuff.

I do agree HID is a mess, even for keyboards and mice. It suffers from high latency and limited key combinations, and is a poorly designed protocol. But I'm surprised you are having so different experiences on the different distributions. The driver is mostly unchanged for the last 15 years (except for fixes like for G25/G27), but it's an optional part of the kernel. For the last 4 years or so Ubuntu has enabled this support, but earlier it only had a simple joystick interface.

[TheLexMachine]

With Logitech products, specifically their gamepads and such, the functionality is hit or miss. You can have an OpenSUSE box that recognizes a Logitech gamepad perfectly, an Ubuntu box that doesn't recognize all the buttons, and a Fedora box that doesn't recognize it at all. It's a real mess, despite the universal HID stuff.

[efikkan]

It looks a lot like the products marked Linux compatible are the products that don't need specific drivers or software. I hope they plan to actually start providing drivers to hardware that need it.

True, due to the fact that most keyboards, mice and joysticks use the HID protocol, so they are supported on any platform with a complete HID implementation.

I think this change on Logitech's website is just a cosmetic change, but I still think it's a good thing as it makes people more aware of products supported under Linux, even though they have been supported all along.

[danne]

It looks a lot like the products marked Linux compatible are the products that don't need specific drivers or software. I hope they plan to actually start providing drivers to hardware that need it.

[Nepenthes]

Squeezebox support has been dropped last year. So Logitech is not "adding" Linux support. It's dropping it, as long as Squeezebox were the only product they really supported with proper server, firmware, and community help.

[deanjo]

The M555b has a nice medium size. Still widely available AFAICS. Had to get used to the metal scroll wheel though, but now it's my favourite scrollwheel style.

They don't even list a single bluetooth mouse in their current line up in Canada.

[johnjark]

Logitech on Linux - so what?

So Logitech is tying to woo the Linux community!!

I would gues that most people have had the same experiences of Logitech as I - the stuff is pure rubbish.

Another of these 'trader' companies that buy up the efforts of real engineering creativity, sack the engineers, export the production to the cheapest, nastiest factories on the planet, package it in sexy boxes, get in spotty marketing morons, and flood the shops with the resultant junk.

I can't think of how many mice, keyboards, remotes, game panels etc that I and my friends have bought from Logitech - only to have them fail within weeks, and then find out that after-sales support is somewhere in Mars, with no phones, email, or staff.

Linux is about excellence - we should discourage Logitech, not applaud their latest marketing spasm.

[accumulator]

I'd love to have all bluetooth mice however there is a real shortage of quality bluetooth mice out there. Most of them are form factored as small portable mice for laptops.

The M555b has a nice medium size. Still widely available AFAICS. Had to get used to the metal scroll wheel though, but now it's my favourite scrollwheel style.

[deanjo]

BTW, whatever happened to all the joysticks and steering wheels from Logitech? All the products seem to have disappeared around Dec 2012?

Still available here,

http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/gaming/wheels

http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/gaming/joysticks

http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/gaming/controllers

The types of PC Games however that utilize joysticks and joypads are nearly non-existent now however and I could see Logitech phasing them out completely.

[deanjo]

Except that most if not all desktops don't come with support for bluetooth.

$5 usb dongles can be found everywhere.