Will Ubuntu 24 support native pinch-zoom functionality for touchpad?

Ramasamy Kandasamy

8/30/24, 12:27 PM

I am considering switching to Ubuntu, but the absence of genuine two-finger zoom (not the pinch-to-"Ctrl +" kind) for touchpads is a deal breaker for me, especially for browsing and reading on my browser and PDF reader.

I'm thinking of purchasing a Mac since it is a Unix-like system and also has good touchpad gestures like genuine two-finger zoom. But I'd prefer to use Ubuntu 24 if it supports pinch-zoom. Since I'm in my final year of college, I have a limited time to avail the Apple student discount which ends around September or October.

Does anyone have any inside information on whether Ubuntu 24 will include native pinch-zoom functionality?

NOTE-1: I am also aware of this: How can ı do zoom with touchpad? I have tried some of these tools. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think these tools just map the 2-finger zoom to the keyboard shortcut ctrl + which is not the same as 2-finger zoom we get in Mac or Windows.

NOTE-2: I am also aware of a limited pinch zoom functionality in Ubuntu-23. I think it works only on images. I am looking for a proper pinch zoom feature that is available in Macbooks and modern windows PCs.

NOTE-3: This note is because my question was downvoted and closed because apparently it is opinion-based. So please note I am not asking for whether you think pinch-zoom will be available in Ubuntu-24, but I am requesting you to share any information you might have regarding this. This question hopes that someone working in the development of Ubutnu-24 might notice it and respond to it with facts.

0 + 8

touchpad

multi-touch

synaptics

Archisman Panigrahi

8/31/24, 2:34 PM

No one knows what will work in Ubuntu 24.04 (its development has not started yet). If you want to know how to enable pinch-to-zoom in a current version (say, 23.04), please edit the question accordingly. Then we can reopen the question

Archisman Panigrahi

8/31/24, 2:38 PM

In Wayland, "genuine" pinch-to-zoom already works in Firefox, Chromium (https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2022/09/enable-wayland-firefox-chrome/), and the image viewer Gwenview (out of the box). This does not require using touchegg (which is a X.Org tool that does not work on Wayland).

Archisman Panigrahi

8/31/24, 2:45 PM

Despite being a Unix-like OS and having excellent hardware, Apple's operating systems have a lot of ethical issues. Are you familiar with them? https://stallman.org/apple.html#spying

Archisman Panigrahi

8/31/24, 2:52 PM

The PDF reader Okular does not support this yet. However, there is an open bug report https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=473679 Till then, you can use Firefox/Chromium as a PDF reader. They have excellent pinch-to-zoom support in Wayland.

Artur Meinild

8/31/24, 5:07 PM

This question should not have been closed based on opinion - it should have been closed because it's about a future release - which is also off-topic.

Ramasamy Kandasamy

9/1/24, 5:33 AM

@ArchismanPanigrahi Thank you very much for your information. I did not know that genuine pinch zoom was available for Ubuntu 23. I will check it out. Also, I am okay with my question staying closed since your comment kind of addresses the question. I will find out more about Wayland and post a separate question if there is any question. Thank you very much!

Archisman Panigrahi

9/1/24, 10:32 AM

Feel free to ask arelated question about supported versions of ubuntu. Also, we prefer that you call it ubuntu 23.04 instead of ubuntu 23. Ubuntu followed by just a two digit number refers to ubuntu core releases. They are not desktop operating systems

Ramasamy Kandasamy

9/2/24, 1:39 PM

Understood. Thank you very much!

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