Libratbag: A New Library For Configurable Mice On Linux

With Libinput 1.0 having been released, Peter Hutterer has found himself working on another open-source Linux input project: libratbag. This new library is for interacting with configurable mice on Linux, as is common to gaming systems.

Peter Hutterer and Benjamin Tissoires have started on libratbag as a generic interface to configurable mice that support profiles, customizable button mapping, and other special actions common to gaming mice and other high-end mice. Libratbag is a more unified approach than the number of community-driven projects out there for reverse-engineering and supporting Logitech devices, Razer mice, etc.

Libratbag currently has partial support for the Logitech HID++ 1.0 (G500, G5) and HID++ 2.0 protocols (G303), the Etekcity Scroll Alpha, Roccat Kone XTD, the G5, G9, and M705.

Libratbag provides a generic API that in turn interfaces with the protocol-specific drivers for each different type of mouse. The developers hope that Linux desktop environments will support libratbag with providing generic tools for configuring modern, advanced mice on Linux.

Libratbag is still in the early stages of development but you can learn more via their GitHub project site and Peter's blog post formally announcing the new project today.

Now if only more gaming peripheral companies would officially support Linux... Thoughts on that matter within this recent article.