Roccat Linux Support Keeps Coming

[AnonymousCoward]

Standarts written by microsoft, I suppose? Cause newer ones tend to be copyrighted, patented or closed/NDA.
Feel free to contact them on ANY peripheral issue and just you mention "Linux" - just sit back and relax as they ignore you.

Modern mice an keyboards are usually USB devices. So they probably should build their devices around the USB HID class specs.

http://www.usb.org/developers/hidpage/

The docs are open and AFAIK the USB patent situation is actually quite good.

The exact problem with keyboards is for example their G-15, tested here on phoronix. Pay attention to word "community spawned". Now compare to when company itself not even publish the specs, but works together with community for opensource software, without difference be it windows, linux, mac or wherever you port it to.

If they make their devices compliant with USB HID specs, then they do not have to write drivers and it will work with any OS which has USB HID drivers. Having dozens of keyboard, mice and game controller drivers because every vendor just does its own thing is not good. USB device classes were invented for a reason, use them.

[crazycheese]

Modern mice an keyboards are usually USB devices. So they probably should build their devices around the USB HID class specs.

http://www.usb.org/developers/hidpage/

The docs are open and AFAIK the USB patent situation is actually quite good.

How come I´m fined 10k$ minimum to just look at gaming standards association for gaming devices?

If they make their devices compliant with USB HID specs, then they do not have to write drivers and it will work with any OS which has USB HID drivers. Having dozens of keyboard, mice and game controller drivers because every vendor just does its own thing is not good. USB device classes were invented for a reason, use them.

This has nothing to do with USB HID, the trouble is coming from the device specific logic, very often not belonging straight to keyboard or covered by standards (like making built-in screen ligher or darker, changing keyboard backlight); device implementation troubles (like mice causing reboots); and applications to improve experience(like profilers) or troubleshoot. It is sure good to have one quasi-open spec, but it does not fall under category support - it falls under category "basics/general functionality".

[Zhick]

Ah I rememer that news artice about roccat providing support for linux. It was the reason I got a roccat pyra mouse.
Can't complain, to this day it's been holding up quite nicely... though I just realized I didnt bother trying to use any of the advanced functionality yet. But I'll do so now, as I wanted to control amarok with it anyways. :>

Update: Installation of the program is a little tricky as you need to download, compile and install a generic roccat package as well as a device specific package (pyra in my case). But once installed it's pretty easy to assign functions to the mouse-buttons and you can actually store them in the mouse so you don't need to have the program running all the time.
I made the easyshift+middle button emmit the play/pause signal and easyshift+right click next track, so I can now control amarok very easily while gaming. Nifty. So from my experience I can only recommend roccat-mice.

[AJenbo]

As a thank you for there support I moved all the Roccat products we sell to a nicer position in our web store

[Moller]

Seems that I've found a new place to by my mice and keyboards!

[FutureSuture]

Just discovered this and it's great! Roccat should really try to get on board as the definitive gaming peripheral manufacturer for Linux now that Steam is coming out.

[Jarrod558]

Too bad it's a rubber dome keyboard.

[FutureSuture]

Just discovered this and it's great! Roccat should really try to get on board as the definitive gaming peripheral manufacturer for Linux now that Steam is coming out.

w00t!

[AJenbo]

Well that just sayes "no changes what so ever", witch is not a bad thing, but also not news...

[FutureSuture]

Well that just sayes "no changes what so ever", witch is not a bad thing, but also not news...

True, but it's nice to have their continued support of Linux confirmed. It not being news is why it was posted in an existing thread.