Disable trackpad tap-clicking?

[Guest]

I have recently set up a dual boot on my macbook pro for leopard and kubuntu. After solving some audio problems and changing my theme I realized that as I type and navigate around my mouse clicks randomly. I came to the conclusion that it is not random clicking, but is in fact using the tap-click feature of the track pad very sensitively. I have never used this tap feature in any operating system and would greatly like to disable it. If there are any experienced Linux users that can help me out, I'd appreciate it. By the way, I have looked through the settings and could not find any option for this.

Sincerely: Sabian1415

[otisklt]

Re: Disable trackpad tap-clicking?

Install gsynaptics from the repos. You will have to launch it from the command line.
Just type gsynaptics and on the second tab it gives you the option to turn off tapping.
My only complaint is it is a session based setting so each reboot it resets that setting.
I have seen a post somewhere about someone getting it to work permanently but I have not gone back to try it.
It does not bother me much as that setting does survive the suspend to ram option.

[kevin79]

Re: Disable trackpad tap-clicking?

It does not bother me much as that setting does survive the suspend to ram option.

How did you get it to survive suspend to ram? I have to set it every time I suspend my laptop.

[otisklt]

Re: Disable trackpad tap-clicking?

I tried it just before posting... it seems it may be time related? I suspended and brought it back up immediately and the setting stuck. If I am suspended for a longer period it does lose it.

[kelly]

Re: Disable trackpad tap-clicking?

I have been using Ubuntu and gnome for a while (6.10 - 8.10) and this past week I decided to give KDE a try.

In Ubuntu's Gnome, I select System > Preferences > Mouse, and there is a trackpad configuration GUI. I simply unchecked the option to click with trackpad taps and I was good to go.

In Kubuntu's KDE, there is no GUI config for this (also, there is no GUI config for the trackpad in Fedora 10's Gnome).

Digging around in xorg.conf, I found a very sparse config file. No mention at all about synaptics or input devices. Now I have to dig into HAL fdi XML files (which I will admit, I am not that familiar with yet). Long story short, I had to make a synaptics options fdi.

sudo kate /etc/hal/fdi/policy/11-synaptics-options.fdi
Put this in the file, save it, and log out then back in to restart X.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
  <device>
   <match key="input.x11_driver" contains="synaptics">
     <merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">On</merge>
     <merge key="input.x11_options.MaxTapTime" type="string">0</merge>
    </match>
  </device>
</deviceinfo>

I am hoping someone can correct me and show me that there is in fact a gui control to do this in KDE 4.

I feel really comfortable with administering Linux based systems from the command line (more so Debian and Red Hat based systems than others), and I feel right at home in Gnome, but I am cursed with forever having to tinker with my system and learn new ways to do things, so here's to hoping I can get more familiar with KDE ... Just for the fun of learning.

the touchpad click was so frustrating; glad that there's a solution.