Re: wsmoused broken since 9.1

[Martin Husemann <martin%duskware.de@localhost>]

On Sat, Dec 26, 2020 at 08:49:22AM -0500, Mouse wrote:
> > I have to admit I only ever use it to shut up stupid USB mice from
> > reconnecting every minute on setups where I boot with serial console
> 
> How does it affect that?  There's a 9.1 system at work where (certain)
> USB mice will randomly disconnect and reconnect; I never even
> considered wsmoused because (among other reasons) I would not expect it
> to make any difference.  I take it from what you said that it does, but
> I do wonder how.

Simply by opening the mouse device (and the USB endpoint), the device
thinks it is supported and stops the stupid "damn, the OS did miss me
attaching and the user won't be able to do anything w/o click and point
device, so let us be clever and fix this for them".

The way the devices "fix" it is by simulating a disconnect event and
then are (re-)discovered by the usb hub (after port and thus device
reset).

All modern USB mice I have do this. You recognize it by a very stable
attach-disconnect interval.

Using wsmoused to stop this is certainly overkill, but hey, it was there
and intended to talk to the mouse so it doesn't feel lonely.

There is a second kind of breakage affecting mice that you did use for
some time already and where the cable becomes bad at the entry into the
mouse housing (probably due to bending during movements). This makes
power for the chip inside the mouse flaky and it randomly disconnects.
This can often be fixed by cutting the cable a few cm before entry to
the housing, opening the mouse, soldering the internal connector to the
now lose end and reassembling.

Martin