Out-of-the-box pointing stick scrolling support

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MartinPC
Posts: 2
Joined: 13. Jul 2015, 00:01

Out-of-the-box pointing stick scrolling support

Post by MartinPC »

It would be nice if the VirtualBox installer for Windows automatically detected whether the computer has a pointing stick and/or touchpad and automatically added Windows scrolling support for VirtualBox, for when mouse pointer integration is enabled.

On ThinkPad laptops, this is done by adding lines to the tp4table.dat file located in a "Program Files" subfolder. Thoughtfully designed program installers -- including, apparently, the installer for VMWare Player -- seemingly do this as part of their installation process. When the installer does not automatically add scrolling support, users must edit the file manually. Helpful tips can be found here and there on the Web, but, unfortunately, comprehensive end-user documentation for editing the tp4table.dat cannot be readily found.

Pointing sticks are found on many higher-end laptops and mobile workstations and are known variously as TrackPoint (IBM/Lenovo), PointStick (HP), Track Stick (Dell), AccuPoint (Toshiba), FineTrack (Acer), Pointing Stick (Sony, Samsung), StickPoint (Fujitsu), QuickPoint (Fujitsu), NX Point (NEC), C-Stick (Nintendo), and FlexPoint (Sprintek). For the millions who use these machines, automatically adding scrolling support would make VirtualBox much more usable out of the box.
scottgus1
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Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Out-of-the-box pointing stick scrolling support

Post by scottgus1 »

MartinPC wrote: Thoughtfully designed program installers -- including, apparently, the installer for VMWare Player
Implying that the Virtualbox installer isn't thought out? Then name-dropping the competition? Not likely to impel the developers to jump right on this....

The fundamental request does seem good, though. Such requests for enhancements can be posted on the Bugtracker as an Enhancement. Recommendation: Stick to the request and don't put in subtle hints about them not thinking, simply because you had an idea and they didn't. "Catch more flies with honey", etc.
MartinPC
Posts: 2
Joined: 13. Jul 2015, 00:01

Re: Out-of-the-box pointing stick scrolling support

Post by MartinPC »

It wasn't remotely my intention to goad VirtualBox developers by name-dropping a competitor. I'm actually a grateful fan. (Ditto for several other applications for which I've had to hack the TP4TABLE.DAT file myself.) Maybe my post was inartfully put, but it was meant in the spirit of constructive feedback.
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