Add touch gesture events

Seems like rather late in the cycle for this. When will the FFe's for touch
be done?

Build log from ppa: https://launchpad.net/~utouch-team/+archive/unstable/+buildjob/2417480/+files/buildlog_ubuntu-natty-amd64.utouch-grail_1.0.20-0ubuntu3~utouch2_BUILDING.txt.gz

This was not a planned feature, so we didn't have any foresight on developing it before feature freeze.

The description sounds very similar to bug 742555, so TBH I'm not quite sure why there's two FFEs for this.

https://code.launchpad.net/~utouch-packaging/utouch-grail/packaging.touch-gestures/+merge/55235 looks weird to me: why do we have so many patches in the package? Aren't we upstream for this stuff anyway, i. e. can't this just become a new upstream release?

Please note that usually FFEs should be requested _before_ adding dependencies to the new thing (which basically turns this into a done deal with not much choice left). IMHO It is way too late to introduce stuff like this, which is not just a matter of a bit of new code, but also design/behaviour changes and new testing requirements.

I'll just address the patches issue. We have already started work on features beyond the scope of natty. These changes have already been pushed to trunk for utouch-grail. Any future releases of utouch-grail would either have the new features too, or we would have to revert commits. It makes the most sense instead to leave utouch-grail at version 1.0.20 for natty and add patches for any additional bug fixes and/or features as necessary.

Regarding the timing of these changes, I believe we are all aware they are late indeed. The reason we still propose them is probably also clear to everyone.

Regarding the nature of the changes, the impact on existing setups is much smaller than what it may seem like. It is not exactly zero, but it is close to it. The new behavior is only seen if switched on explicitly, as done by necessity in unity trunk.

Regarding the number of patches, three of the four patches are pure bugfixes, as can be seen in the LP references in the change log.

Related to bug 742555, so formally approving as well.

I would like to make this very clear to everyone (not addressing the bug fix patches, just the addition of touch gestures):
 * the change is a result of a missed bit of functionality that was buried in the design document
 * Henrik has addressed the nature of the impact on other components here, which is minimal
 * no one noticed the requirement until Jason attempted to get immediate touch feedback when implementing MT in Unity
 * Unity requires this
 * if anyone has any problems with this change, they need to take it up with Mark Shuttleworth

On Friday, April 01, 2011 08:56:01 AM you wrote:
> if anyone has any problems with this change, they need to take it up with
> Mark Shuttleworth

Sorry. That doesn't play. Only the sabdfl gets to be sabdfl. I don't have an
opinion on the patch itself, but this is completely inappropriate and
disrespectful of the release team and the role it plays in Ubuntu.

This bug was fixed in the package utouch-grail - 1.0.20-0ubuntu3

---------------
utouch-grail (1.0.20-0ubuntu3) natty; urgency=low

  * Prevent rotation gestures on semi-mt trackpads (LP: #724979)
  * Add touch gestures (LP: #742582)
  * Ensure all started gestures end (LP: #744391)
 -- Chase Douglas <email address hidden> Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:04:23 -0400

On 04/01/2011 07:18 AM, Scott Kitterman wrote:
> On Friday, April 01, 2011 08:56:01 AM you wrote:
>> if anyone has any problems with this change, they need to take it up with
>> Mark Shuttleworth
>
> Sorry. That doesn't play. Only the sabdfl gets to be sabdfl. I don't have an
> opinion on the patch itself, but this is completely inappropriate and
> disrespectful of the release team and the role it plays in Ubuntu.

Then you have misunderstood my intent: there are layers of dependencies
here (code, designs, features -- ultimately directed by and signed off
by Mark). We are simply doing our jobs to make sure they are fulfilled.
He wants this stuff in there, and if you guys don't approve, for
whatever reason (yes, I know it's been approved now), then that's who
you need to take it up with.

I'm wasn't being disrespectful, only letting you know that we had
reached the end of the line: we had given you all the info, explained
the reasons for everything, and are simply not in a position to address
anything beyond that.

Hope that clarifies that bullet point.

I've contemplated your response and didn't come up with something that's
consistent with the CoC, so I'll stop here.

Scott,

I owe you an apology.

After chatting with those in the know, I see now that I basically walked all over the release team's governance charter. I extend my deepest apologies for this.

As I now understand things, it is you all in the Release Team who provide the ultimate guidance on the release of Ubuntu, and that whether or not my comments were intended as disrespectful or insulting, they were, in fact, just that.

On a side note, in the face of this, you exhibited amazing restraint and provided the space necessary for me to confer with my peers, get educated, and reflect on the proper context here.

Thanks!

And what's more, thanks for all of your efforts and work in helping Ubuntu get released each cycle :-)

I just caught up with the thread in this bug.

Scott, you're right, Duncan was out of line to phrase the request the
way he did. I had reminded the touch and Unity teams the set of gestures
they were supposed to support and deliver, and that required the API /
ABI change. The only consumer of those API's is Unity, and the gestures
are essential for the usability of the interface with multi-touch pads.
So, since the regression risk was tightly contained, it seemed a
reasonable ask.

Mark

Duncan has apologized and we've had some additional communication outside the
bug. To close the loop here, I think the social issue here is resolved (as
well as the technical one) and we can move on.