As I recall, Lennart, I saw your name in the USB tablet sources in the
xsrc tree.  (I don't have the sources handy, since I'm in an office and my
NetBSD system is at home, sans Internet connection.)  Anyway, you seem the
most likely person to have an answer, so I included you explicitly in the
To: line.  (^&

The xsrc USB tablet source filename is something like ``USBtablet.c''; the
comment near the top says something like, ``Works with:\n Wacom Pen
partner''.  The file isn't called the ``USBWacomTablet.c'' source file,
etc., so I'm hopeful that there's some well defined protocol that USB has
laid out (and which the Wacom tablet, at least, follows) for USB tablets.

Is this correct?  If so, what are the chances of it ``just working'' if I
got another tablet?  I'm thinking that the HyperPen that I've seen in
stores (also see www.aiptek.com) looks like an affordable option for
someone who is only a dabbler in graphics...  $60 or so for a small
tablet, or about $100, US, for a 6x8 tablet with (I think) its own mouse &
(of course) stylus.

If I were really serious, I'd either risk the HyperPen, or just buy a
Wacom tablet.  But, as a dabbler...it's hard to justify the Wacom tablets
(the small ones look just too small to be comfortable).  And I'd like to
know what I'm getting into before I bother with the ``HyperPen''.

And, too, if it didn't ``just work'', it might be because of a
configuration error on my part.  (^&  I've never enabled an XFree86 XIE
module.  (If I already had the hardware, I could just fiddle around with
it and see if I could get it to work...and I wouldn't be under any kind of
pressure to get it working or return it.  (^&)


So...questions:

(a) How likely is it to ``just work'' if I get another USB tablet?  (In
theory or in practice...has anyone just tried it and found that it
works---or doesn't---with Lennart's driver?)

(b) Can someone provide an XFree86 configuration snippet showing how a
tablet should normally be configured?  (I'm currently running on v3.3.6,
if that matters; if the config file format changes in this regard, though,
a v4.x sample config might also be nice to see.  (^&)

(c) I guess I could also ask after people's experiences, if any, with
smaller tablets.  Do you get the feeling of being cramped, or does one
readily get accustomed to the area?


Thanks in advance for any help.  (^&


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu