- selected System Settings > Mouse & Touchpad > Touchpad > [but there's no option to disable touchpad]. There is an option to ignore the touchpad when a mouse is connected, but this setting has no effect.
- installed touchpad-indicator, which doesn't work. It's icon doesn't appear on the system panel icon
- the only thing that works is to completely disable the touchpad, but then I have to remember to re-enable it before shutdown or else I'll have to cursor control on next boot.
-Sadhu