wacom & sierra
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RogerS
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A quick Google shows that this is par for the course. Each time a new version of OS X comes out then some people seem to have problems with Wacom drivers being out of date.
I find this very surprising since Apple bend over backwards to make beta (and earlier) versions available as part of each new release of OSX and so why Wacom seem so tardy in providing any new drivers required is beyond me. Of course, it could be that the actual tablet architecture/hardware is so basically antiquated that Wacom struggle each time.
My two'pennorth.
Basic understanding of user-requirements, adequate system specific specifications and user testing seems beyond the capabilities of most companies these days. Pace the current meltdown debacle on the John Lewis Partnership card 'improved' website. Although perhaps one shouldn't be surprised as the whole John Lewis/Waitrose IT department management are not fit for purpose IMO.
I find this very surprising since Apple bend over backwards to make beta (and earlier) versions available as part of each new release of OSX and so why Wacom seem so tardy in providing any new drivers required is beyond me. Of course, it could be that the actual tablet architecture/hardware is so basically antiquated that Wacom struggle each time.
My two'pennorth.
Basic understanding of user-requirements, adequate system specific specifications and user testing seems beyond the capabilities of most companies these days. Pace the current meltdown debacle on the John Lewis Partnership card 'improved' website. Although perhaps one shouldn't be surprised as the whole John Lewis/Waitrose IT department management are not fit for purpose IMO.
Eric The Viking
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You made me smile Roger. As you know, we've trodden a similar path through two industries, but the world has changed. The simple answer to your question is "cost." Issues now get a Pareto test applied, and the big stuff gets worked-on, and the smaller stuff has to wait. Incidentally, JLP seems to be an IBM house (he said with some smugness), so you can't say they don't have access to rigourous methodologies. The trouble is, if you apply the attention to detail you perhaps should, you're late to market with features consumers (apparently) want.
Nowhere do you see this more starkly than in the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile devices. The half-finished nature of the firmware/software in most products is staggering -- if they left the GUI in a mess, what's broken out of sight? Well, battery integration, evidently! And the security of the devices, so we're told. Get an IP camera and broadcast to the world -- not pictures, but share all your private network data with people trying to steal from you.
Meanwhile, back at Wacom. I have a few questions of the OP:
Firstly which Intuos are you referring to?
Stupidly (and marketing decisions are often VERY stupid), they've mucked about with the branding, so Intuos no longer has a clear meaning. There's quite a difference in behaviour between the two lines (I & Ipro), and the drivers can't identical (well, they could roll it all up into one, but the driver would be huge).
Secondly, what's the nature of the problem(s) and are you seeing them, or thinking of buying one and wondering about?
Wacom's business relationship with Apple is almost certainly at a low point, since Apple is obviously going after its market now. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple has cold-shouldered Wacom, as the margin on it's stylus ("Pencil") is huge, and it has no commercial incentive to do the integration properly.
For quite a few years I worked alongside people doing OEM hardware integrations (from the peripheral point of view). It's a two-way street. You can make your product as compatible as possible, and then the OS owner will go and do something unexpected, which breaks functionality. It's almost impossible to make complex hardware work correctly (and Wacom Pro tablets ARE complex) without cooperation. Our products had DIP switches to turn on/off various non-standard kludges, and we had a well-documented and agreed standard interface (SCSI-2 and SCSI-3). It's much harder in an uncontrolled consumer market.
In short tell us more aboutthe issues...
E.
Nowhere do you see this more starkly than in the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile devices. The half-finished nature of the firmware/software in most products is staggering -- if they left the GUI in a mess, what's broken out of sight? Well, battery integration, evidently! And the security of the devices, so we're told. Get an IP camera and broadcast to the world -- not pictures, but share all your private network data with people trying to steal from you.
Meanwhile, back at Wacom. I have a few questions of the OP:
Firstly which Intuos are you referring to?
Stupidly (and marketing decisions are often VERY stupid), they've mucked about with the branding, so Intuos no longer has a clear meaning. There's quite a difference in behaviour between the two lines (I & Ipro), and the drivers can't identical (well, they could roll it all up into one, but the driver would be huge).
Secondly, what's the nature of the problem(s) and are you seeing them, or thinking of buying one and wondering about?
Wacom's business relationship with Apple is almost certainly at a low point, since Apple is obviously going after its market now. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple has cold-shouldered Wacom, as the margin on it's stylus ("Pencil") is huge, and it has no commercial incentive to do the integration properly.
For quite a few years I worked alongside people doing OEM hardware integrations (from the peripheral point of view). It's a two-way street. You can make your product as compatible as possible, and then the OS owner will go and do something unexpected, which breaks functionality. It's almost impossible to make complex hardware work correctly (and Wacom Pro tablets ARE complex) without cooperation. Our products had DIP switches to turn on/off various non-standard kludges, and we had a well-documented and agreed standard interface (SCSI-2 and SCSI-3). It's much harder in an uncontrolled consumer market.
In short tell us more aboutthe issues...
E.
RogerS
Established Member
Eric The Viking":kb7hz34u said:
Broadly agree but in the case of JLP there are no features 'that users wanted'. Just re-doing (for that read 'screwing up)') their Partnership card account management website.
Eric The Viking":kb7hz34u said:
Please...don't get me started on the lack of security in IoT stuff. I've posted about it elsewhere on the forum. Just wait until the idiots decide to run a DDoS attack against Google's DNS servers, other DNS servers, Microsoft, Apple ...all at the same time.
We have but one device...a Humax YouView PVR and that sits quite happily in its own semi-secure zone while all our computers and personal data sit behind a second router and safely out of harms way.
Eric The Viking
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[Note post revisions above!]
Some standards do work though. I'm typing on an Apple Bluetooth keyboard connected to a Samsung Note 10.1 tablet, and it's (reasonably) fine. It's much better than mucky fingers on the screen, anyway. But keyboards are extremely simple in comparison to the simplest graphics tablet.
Integrated screen stylus support, Wacom or Apple style, is simpler than proper graphics tablets, but more complex than keyboards, probably.
I haven't tried the Wacom connected to the Samsung Note - it would be an interesting experiment. Early Wacoms had a form of mouse emulation, IIRC, and mine (Intuos Pro) has an RF connection (not Bluetooth) that shouldn't run the battery down too fast. If you use the OTG connector as an USB port for peripherals, you can't power it from the mains simultaneously, which is a PITA. My understanding is that Samsung use Wacom technology, although neither stylus works with the other one. I have an ancient Wacom stylus too - ought to try that stylus for fun, just to see.
I should add, the Intuos Pro is wonderfully plug-&-play with Linux (xubuntu 16.4LTS in my case). It's a very open-source integration, separate from the main Linux work, and it's pretty dashed good.
I have a couple of simple scripts that run on login just to set a few personal preferences (such as turning off finger-touch sensitivity and loading behaviour into the nine side buttons), but the basic stuff - stylus/eraser, orientation of the tablet (I'm a leftie so use mine "upside down"), touch sensitivity and stylus side-button allocation work without any effort at all on my part.
Some standards do work though. I'm typing on an Apple Bluetooth keyboard connected to a Samsung Note 10.1 tablet, and it's (reasonably) fine. It's much better than mucky fingers on the screen, anyway. But keyboards are extremely simple in comparison to the simplest graphics tablet.
Integrated screen stylus support, Wacom or Apple style, is simpler than proper graphics tablets, but more complex than keyboards, probably.
I haven't tried the Wacom connected to the Samsung Note - it would be an interesting experiment. Early Wacoms had a form of mouse emulation, IIRC, and mine (Intuos Pro) has an RF connection (not Bluetooth) that shouldn't run the battery down too fast. If you use the OTG connector as an USB port for peripherals, you can't power it from the mains simultaneously, which is a PITA. My understanding is that Samsung use Wacom technology, although neither stylus works with the other one. I have an ancient Wacom stylus too - ought to try that stylus for fun, just to see.
I should add, the Intuos Pro is wonderfully plug-&-play with Linux (xubuntu 16.4LTS in my case). It's a very open-source integration, separate from the main Linux work, and it's pretty dashed good.
I have a couple of simple scripts that run on login just to set a few personal preferences (such as turning off finger-touch sensitivity and loading behaviour into the nine side buttons), but the basic stuff - stylus/eraser, orientation of the tablet (I'm a leftie so use mine "upside down"), touch sensitivity and stylus side-button allocation work without any effort at all on my part.
Intuos pro, table is seen but the pen is not. faffed around with the drivers etc. but it seems something got broke. tried USB and RF without any difference. spose ill just wait for a new driver, wacom support was less than helpful.
Eric The Viking
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Sorry - don't think I can help, although I've found at work (commuting with my own Intuos Pro presently), that I have to dis- and reconnect the USB cable once logged-in occasionally.
It's not consistent though and I'm running Linux so the driver is different.
I rarely use the wireless 'dongle'. It does work quite well, but I got very poor battery life initially, so thought it wasn't worth the bother.
Wish I could be more use.
E.
It's not consistent though and I'm running Linux so the driver is different.
I rarely use the wireless 'dongle'. It does work quite well, but I got very poor battery life initially, so thought it wasn't worth the bother.
Wish I could be more use.
E.
Eric The Viking
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Honestly, I find the open-source-project driver for Linux is miles better than the proprietary one I used to use under Windows. And I think it's all had to be reverse engineered too. Wacom don't seem to make interface documentation easily available.
Many years ago I bought an Epson 720 printer to use with my G3 Mac. It worked fine straight away without any additional drivers needed to be added. About a year later I reloaded the OS on my machine and the printer failed to work. I installed the Epson drivers that came with the printer and that didn't work. I then downloaded the Epson driver from their website and that failed to work as well. Finally I found the Epson driver on the Mac OS installation disc and that worked! Moral, never trust a third party vendor when it comes to drivers.
