Ubuntu Linux to get multi-touch in 10.10
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Wed August 18, 2010
Ubuntu Linux to get multi-touch this October
Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on Monday said via his blog that the first Ubuntu Linux build with support for multi-touch inputs will be out on October 10. The software will be developed on the Dell XT2 tablet, but by the launch date, it will work with other computers and peripherals, including Apple's Magic Trackpad. The development team has written what Shuttleworth calls a touch language, which allows for basic gestures to be chained or composed into "sentences."
More details and source code are available in the official developer announcement. Several applications in the Maverick Meerkat Ubuntu 10.10 build will support gesture-based scrolling. Window management will also be enabled in Unity.
After the release, APIs will be released for developers to bring gesture processing and touch services.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2010
Alert your legal department
Ummmm, Mark, you might want to do a patent search to make sure you're not setting yourself up for a lawsuit from Apple. Just sayin'.