[Pkg-gpm-devel] Bug#297491: Please use repeat_type=none in default /etc/gpm.conf file

[Alan W. Irwin]

Package: gpm
Version: 1.19.6-19
Severity: wishlist


When making a fresh install, repeat_type=ms3 is the default in /etc/gpm.conf
(at least for all the Debian testing systems I have installed recently). My
experience is any repeat type other than none screws up the X mouse and
constitutes a major barrier to entry for desktop Debian since new users
aren't very happy with mouseless X. To avoid this interference with the X
mouse, I automatically reconfigure every gpm installation I do as
repeat_type=none with good results.  Of course, from the man page there are
apparently some broken mice where repeating is necessary in order for X to
work, but surely that is for a tiny minority of users.

Thus, please consider using the default of repeat_type=none in the
/etc/gpm.conf file. I believe this will better serve the majority of desktop
Debian users and will also make the life of a Debian desktop newbie who is
trying to get the X mouse to work a whole lot less painful.

Alan W. Irwin

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.8-2-686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)

Versions of packages gpm depends on:
ii  debconf [debconf-2.0]       1.4.30.11    Debian configuration management sy
ii  debianutils                 2.8.4        Miscellaneous utilities specific t
ii  libc6                       2.3.2.ds1-20 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libncurses5                 5.4-4        Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii  ucf                         1.14         Update Configuration File: preserv

-- debconf information:
* gpm/responsiveness:
* gpm/repeat_type: none
* gpm/append:
* gpm/restart: false
* gpm/sample_rate:
* gpm/device: /dev/psaux
* gpm/restart_default: false
* gpm/type: ps2