Why does cursor move erratically & erase data?

[I2k4]

This has been bugging me for a while, too. The idea that it might be caused by palming the touchpad makes sense. This thread helped me understand a) enabling PalmDetect turns it on and sensitizes the touchpad to a difference between narrow finger press and a big palm, and b) it's possible to set a startup to adjust it. Using the synclient command in the terminal brings up a long list of parameters, and underneath PalmDetect there are PalmMinWidth (size detection) and PalmMinZ (pressure detection).

The following thread helps understand those, but settings seem to be left to trial and error:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/205512/t ... ensitivity

I've activated PalmDetect=1 with a startup script. If it helps non-techies like me, in Mint 16 XFCE in the Menu I searched for "Startup" and got the "Session and Startup" dialog box, "Application and Autostart" Tab, used "Add" to create a new item I called Palm Detection and put in the command "sudo synclient PalmDetect=1", then rebooted. I found that with this setting, the touchpad works fine with a finger but ignores a swipe with the fat part below my thumb. I'm not big on touchpad gestures so no idea if it affects those.

The askubuntu thread above indicates the default parameters of PalmMinWidth=10 and PalmMinZ=200 can be played with and also added to the "Session and Startup" dialog, and I'll update this if I learn anything useful. But so far I've typed this box right here without the usual skippity-do of the cursor.

Have to say I had been blaming Mint/Ubuntu for this problem, but it may be it's really more a problem of hand and laptop positioning that can't be fully anticipated by the OS.

[este.el.paz]

This has been bugging me for a while, too. The idea that it might be caused by palming the touchpad makes sense.
Have to say I had been blaming Mint/Ubuntu for this problem, but it may be it's really more a problem of hand and laptop positioning that can't be fully anticipated by the OS.

@12k4:

Thanks also to you for stopping by and for providing the data . . . have to say that I haven't tried this "synclient" method, it was mentioned in the thread several times by other posters. Mainly I'm replying because I can categorically state that my problem happened ***irregardless*** of touching the touchpad, accidentally or otherwise, i.e., it happens without touching the touchpad . . . .

And, in terms of "blame" . . . that's not exactly the issue for me . . . simply, it is a problem that has not been solved by the devs . . . . And when I filed a bug report it was closed a couple months later without anyone even looking into it. Now, over time it seems like more and more people are experiencing this problem as noted by the posts here, on various makes of laptop other than Mac.

And, if I had a few minutes to waste I could play with adjusting this synclient params . . . . But again, I see the touchpad as a very basic aspect of a laptop that should simply be handled by the OS . . . . I'm not complaining that it doesn't have all the function of the OSX magic touchpad . . . but I am complaining that having to "disable tap to click" is the only way that the problem is "solved"--thus decreasing the capacity of the computer. My feeling about that hasn't changed, that's why I keep talking about it . . . it's not about "blame" . . . it's about whether it is being "handled" or ignored, etc.

e.e.p.

[I2k4]

Understand your frustration because the jumping cursor is a real nuisance. I'm still thinking it's the positioning of my netbook in a particular comfortable chair and incidental touchpad contact. By the way, I've found a new solution which is more direct and apparently in some desktop environments there are equivalent GUI settings: it's called "syndaemon"

http://www.webupd8.org/2009/11/ubuntu-a ... chpad.html

I'm not aware of a Setting in XFCE, so have set up an Autostart command for it as I did in the post above.

sudo syndaemon -d

so far just simple without parameters timing the return to regular operation. I can literally type repeated characters with one hand and the touchpad is inactive even with a direct finger press. Stop typing and the touchpad works normally. Hopefully a simpler fix, and might confirm your problem not being touchpad related.

[santi2007]

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem on an Acer Aspire S3. I am running Cinammon, but from Manjaro, not Linux Mint.

As I see no more posts since April '14, I suppose the issue was solved with either the syndaemon settings command or the synclient command.

Is there a final solution for this? Which one works best? I tried only the synclient til now and seems to have improved a bit, although the click sensiti... There it goes again
the click sensitivity is lower now.

[I2k4]

Is there a final solution for this? Which one works best? I tried only the synclient til now and seems to have improved a bit, although the click sensiti... There it goes again
the click sensitivity is lower now.

The "sudo syndaemon -d" set up above (adding an entry to the Session and Startup / Autostart list) is on my routine installation to do list on this little netbook. I only run XFCE on it. Here I'm going to repeatedly type two keys while dragging the other hand over the touchpad:

opopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopo

No prob, but users run different hardware differently so I suppose this thread was inconclusive. You could double check Cinnamon Settings dialogs for an equivalent fix. Certainly test fixes in the Terminal for a single session on your setup before adding to Autostart.

[este.el.paz]

I2k4, et al:

Appreciate the thoughts on the "syndaemon" options . . . might be worth it for the recent postee . . . for myself, I switched over to Xubuntu 14.04 hoping to get around the problem--which didn't work. But so far unchecking "tap to click" has been the simplest "solution" for me. Problem has not been an issue since doing that . . . point being, disabling features that are pretty basic operations for a laptop . . . . Might be that filing a bug report on the ubuntu side, since LM is based on ubuntu, might get some response . . . . Other things to do right now.

e.e.p.