Install touchscreen support in Debian?

[Giganthrax]

I have a Debian virtual machine that I access via the AnyDesk remote desktop app. This solution works really good when I'm accessing it from another PC. 

 

However, it's really janky when I control it from my Android phone, since it doesn't have touchscreen support and the phone's touchscreen is instead simulating a mouse. This can makes some actions such as scrolling and dragging and dropping extremely difficult. When I try to switch to regular touchscreen controls, I get the message that "The function is not supported by the remote device."

 

Is there a driver I could install in Debian that would enable this? Google isn't very helpful, and I don't know where to even start looking. Any help is appreciated.

[Alexeygridnev1993]

I tried to use Microsoft Surface with Linux (touch-screen only). Long story short, it's just atrocious.

 

Touch gestures (like swipe up for an on-screen keyboard, two-finger swipe to change the workspace, etc.) are only available on GNOME running on Wayland. And Wayland has some additional problems which Xorg doesn't have (i.e. a Firefox window couldn't be moved with a finger; a 3rd-party on-screen keyboard refuses to work and hangs the system, etc).

 

One recommendation I could give is to try to use this software - https://github.com/PeterCxy/evdev-right-click-emulation

 

This allows to use long press as right click, which is something. Pay attention to this issue when you compile it - https://github.com/PeterCxy/evdev-right-click-emulation/issues/14#issue-994028061

- and set it as a systemd service to make sure it starts at boot. I also had to specify

Restart = on-failure

- in a systemd unit to get it to work. I cannot guarantee that to work in your case though.

[Chunchunmaru_]

20 hours ago, Alexeygridnev1993 said:

I tried to use Microsoft Surface with Linux (touch-screen only). Long story short, it's just atrocious.

 

Touch gestures (like swipe up for an on-screen keyboard, two-finger swipe to change the workspace, etc.) are only available on GNOME running on Wayland. And Wayland has some additional problems which Xorg doesn't have (i.e. a Firefox window couldn't be moved with a finger; a 3rd-party on-screen keyboard refuses to work and hangs the system, etc).

 

One recommendation I could give is to try to use this software - https://github.com/PeterCxy/evdev-right-click-emulation

 

This allows to use long press as right click, which is something. Pay attention to this issue when you compile it - https://github.com/PeterCxy/evdev-right-click-emulation/issues/14#issue-994028061

- and set it as a systemd service to make sure it starts at boot. I also had to specify

Restart = on-failure

- in a systemd unit to get it to work. I cannot guarantee that to work in your case though.

I use a surface go 2 with Linux too, while I can confirm that gestures work better on Wayland (which on an intel GPU is not a bad thing) I can move firefox with one finger. Also the 3rd party on screen keyboard works nicely

The only things I have noticed are gestures with more than 2 fingers do not work

I have to say I am running a custom kernel, which I would recommend install (https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface)

But the main issue here is you are using AnyDesk, which does't care if you install drivers for a real touchscreen devices, because anydesk is another thing

TL;DR you should try to change program, try TeamViewer

Other crazy alternatives would be:

VNC or RDP (xrdp)

[Alexeygridnev1993]

6 minutes ago, Chunchunmaru_ said:

I use a surface go 2 with Linux too, while I can confirm that gestures work better on Wayland (which on an intel GPU is not a bad thing) I can move firefox with one finger. Also the 3rd party on screen keyboard works nicely

The only things I have noticed are gestures with more than 2 fingers do not work

I have to say I am running a custom kernel, which I would recommend install (https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface)

But the main issue here is you are using AnyDesk, which does't care if you install drivers for a real touchscreen devices, because anydesk is another thing

TL;DR you should try to change program, try TeamViewer

Other crazy alternatives would be:

VNC or RDP (xrdp)

I do use the same linux-surface kernel. Still, only one-finger touch is detected on my Surface Pro 7, and most gestures require multi-touch. Plus the issues with a third-party keyboard. Plus that Firefox issue. I tried Ubuntu 18 and 20; what are you running?

[Chunchunmaru_]

3 minutes ago, Alexeygridnev1993 said:

I do use the same linux-surface kernel. Still, only one-finger touch is detected on my Surface Pro 7, and most gestures require multi-touch. Plus the issues with a third-party keyboard. Plus that Firefox issue. I tried Ubuntu 18 and 20; what are you running?

20.04

I have also an issue with the keyboard touchpad sensitivity (the original microsoft one) which by time to time requires to be re-plugged

Mind that I update the graphics drivers and xorg to the cutting edge releases