!!!THIS GUIDE IS DEPRECIATED. SEE https://opentabletdriver.net/Wiki INSTEAD OF THIS GUIDE!!!
Before following this guide, check if your tablet is not compatable or has issues by clicking here. If your tablet is not supported, you can follow my more complex, older tutorial that may work for you here.
Hello again! I have started posting these tutorials since there was no solid guide on how to make my Gaomon S620 to work on Linux, so I made an older guide on how to install some drivers to make practically any tablet workable and customizable. Looking back, that guide isn't written well and is very complicated. This guide is re-made to be as simple as possible and will use easier methods for installing drivers and customizing your tablet. Here are some opening notes that I would like to state:
If you are having issue installing .NET Core, read "Finding your Distribution" under "Other Distro/Distro not Listed" in step 1. There are some tips I have provided to issues I think you will encounter while trying to install it. It also may help to try finding instructions on installing .NET Core by searching "how to install .NET core on X" on the internet, where "X" is your distro name. If you REALLY need help from a person, try finding a Linux Discord support server or ask for help on something like stackoverflow. .NET Core also has a Discord server, which you can find in the README on their GitHub. Microsoft also has a guide on how to install .NET Core in Linux.
If you are having trouble installing and/or stuck on trying to get OpenTabletDriver to work, try looking at this useful page on solving any common problem with the driver suite. If that still does not solve your issue, try joining their development Discord and ask around; invite is also in their GitHub. If all else fails, open an issue ticket.
If these instructions are flawed, outdated, or do not work, please let me know in the comments! Even small suggestions help out, such as things with formatting, grammar, spelling, wording, command parameters, etc.
If you are an Arch user all you need to do is run:
Ubuntu/Debian
Lets start off by finding the the latest Microsoft repository package. Open https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ in your browser and a small list of Linux distributions should appear. Then click on your distro version and then click on packages-microsoft-prod.deb. The file should start downloading after you click it. If your operating system is not showing in the Microsoft directory, click on "Finding your Distribution" under the "Other Distro/Distro not Listed" section.
Once it has finished downloading, run:
If for some reason it isn't adding the repo, try running "sudo apt purge packages-microsoft-prod" and then re-install it. If you ever need to remove packages-microsoft-prod, make sure you use apt purge, otherwise, when you uninstall and reinstall it, it wont install correctly and the repo wont be added.
After that run:
Once that is done installing, go on to step 2.
Other Distro/Distro not Listed
If you cannot find your distribution in https://packages.microsoft.com/config/, check "Finding your Distribution" below. If it is there, download the packages-microsoft-prod package and install it with your favorite package manager/installer.
Download the latest release of OpenTabletDriver from https://github.com/OpenTabletDriver/OpenTabletDriver/releases. I personally used the v0.5.3.1 version. Upon opening the link the latest release should be already visible (if not scroll up to it), and download the OpenTabletDriver.deb package under the "Assets" drop-down menu.
Once downloading the package, open it with your favorite package installer or just run
Then run
Arch Linux
Use an AUR helper to install the opentabletdriver-git package. On Manjaro, you just need to open your software preferences, go to the AUR tab, enable it (with updates on), and hit close; then you can graphically search for the package and install it.
Then run
Other Distro
If you would like to provide instructions on how to install OpenTabletDriver, please put them in the comments! I don't have the time currently to make instructions for other distros.
Once you are done with following the introduction tutorial, it is highly likely your tablet wont be detected. Lets make it so it can.
First install Git by running:
The above commands basically enables any application to interact with any tablet that OpenTabletDriver supports. You may want to do these commands again when you reinstall a newer version of OpenTabletDriver. You should especially want do these commands again if you are installing a newer version of the drivers and if you are trying to use a tablet that OpenTabletDriver previously did not support.
After this, you are finished! If you are still having issues, look at the Linux FAQ for solutions to common problems. If you are still having issues, join the OpenTabletDriver Discord server for support. If all else fails, open a issue ticket.
Before following this guide, check if your tablet is not compatable or has issues by clicking here. If your tablet is not supported, you can follow my more complex, older tutorial that may work for you here.
Hello again! I have started posting these tutorials since there was no solid guide on how to make my Gaomon S620 to work on Linux, so I made an older guide on how to install some drivers to make practically any tablet workable and customizable. Looking back, that guide isn't written well and is very complicated. This guide is re-made to be as simple as possible and will use easier methods for installing drivers and customizing your tablet. Here are some opening notes that I would like to state:
- Since I did all of these steps on Linux Mint 19.3, these steps should work on any Ubuntu/Debian distribution. I also have provided Arch instructions, but it has been a while since I have used it, so they may not be accurate. This guide should also should work on any other distro with some modifications to the instructions.
If you want to add instructions for your distro, put them in the comments and there is a high chance I will eventually add them to this guide. - My old tutorial is very complex and should only be followed if this guide does not work and if you are familiar with Linux. This new guide will be shorter, easier, less intimidating, and more friendly to people who aren't nerds like me.
- These instructions are based of the ones found on the OpenTabletDriver GitHub.
- Thanks to oSumAtrIX for recommending OpenTabletDriver. If he didn't, this updated tutorial would of never happened.
Step 0: If Trouble Arises
If you have found a solution to a problem while following this guide, please put it in the comments!If you are having issue installing .NET Core, read "Finding your Distribution" under "Other Distro/Distro not Listed" in step 1. There are some tips I have provided to issues I think you will encounter while trying to install it. It also may help to try finding instructions on installing .NET Core by searching "how to install .NET core on X" on the internet, where "X" is your distro name. If you REALLY need help from a person, try finding a Linux Discord support server or ask for help on something like stackoverflow. .NET Core also has a Discord server, which you can find in the README on their GitHub. Microsoft also has a guide on how to install .NET Core in Linux.
If you are having trouble installing and/or stuck on trying to get OpenTabletDriver to work, try looking at this useful page on solving any common problem with the driver suite. If that still does not solve your issue, try joining their development Discord and ask around; invite is also in their GitHub. If all else fails, open an issue ticket.
If these instructions are flawed, outdated, or do not work, please let me know in the comments! Even small suggestions help out, such as things with formatting, grammar, spelling, wording, command parameters, etc.
Step 1: Installing .NET Core
Arch LinuxIf you are an Arch user all you need to do is run:
sudo pacman -S dotnet-runtime dotnet-sdkAfter that just skip to step 2.
Ubuntu/Debian
Lets start off by finding the the latest Microsoft repository package. Open https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ in your browser and a small list of Linux distributions should appear. Then click on your distro version and then click on packages-microsoft-prod.deb. The file should start downloading after you click it. If your operating system is not showing in the Microsoft directory, click on "Finding your Distribution" under the "Other Distro/Distro not Listed" section.
Once it has finished downloading, run:
cd ~/DownloadsAnd then
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.debIf you have moved the file to a different location, cd to the directory in which its located and then run the "sudo dpkg -i" command. If you have downloaded the package in Firefox and chose to open the package once it has completed downloading, it won't have saved into the downloads folder and you will need to redownload it. Make sure you select "Save File" when choosing to download it.
If for some reason it isn't adding the repo, try running "sudo apt purge packages-microsoft-prod" and then re-install it. If you ever need to remove packages-microsoft-prod, make sure you use apt purge, otherwise, when you uninstall and reinstall it, it wont install correctly and the repo wont be added.
After that run:
sudo apt update; sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https; sudo apt updateAnd
sudo apt install -y dotnet-sdk-5.0 dotnet-runtime-5.0
Once that is done installing, go on to step 2.
Other Distro/Distro not Listed
If you cannot find your distribution in https://packages.microsoft.com/config/, check "Finding your Distribution" below. If it is there, download the packages-microsoft-prod package and install it with your favorite package manager/installer.
Finding your Distribution
Once you have done that, install the dotnet-sdk-5.0 and dotnet-runtime-5.0 packages.Some operating systems, like Linux Mint, are actually based off of a bigger Linux distribution. All that is different with operating systems like Linux Mint is how you interact with it, how its configured, what is changed about it, and what it comes with.
That said, run the following command:
So in my case, I would search "Ubuntu bionic release version" since my base distro is "ubuntu" and the code-name of my base distro is "bionic." The result I get from the internet is 18.04.5 LTS, so I would select 18.04 in the Microsoft directory.
If there is no "ID_LIKE," and your OS is not in the Microsoft directory, then try installing .NET manually by clicking here. There also may be easier instructions on how to install .NET by searching up "how to install .NET core on X" on the internet, where "X" is your distro name. Also keep in mind that some operating systems like Solus, Arch, and Gentoo are not based off of anything, though some distros like Gentoo and Arch provide .NET Core ready to install without adding Microsoft's repository or doing any extra steps. Just make sure .NET Core is v5 and above. Again, they may have the .NET packages already ready to install without adding Microsoft's repository, so check on the internet on how to install .NET for your distro.
That said, run the following command:
cat /etc/os-releaseAnd something like this should appear:
NAME="Linux Mint" VERSION="19.3 (Tricia)" ID=linuxmint ID_LIKE=ubuntu PRETTY_NAME="Linux Mint 19.3" VERSION_ID="19.3" HOME_URL="https://www.linuxmint.com/" SUPPORT_URL="https://forums.linuxmint.com/" BUG_REPORT_URL="http://linuxmint-troubleshooting-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/" PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.linuxmint.com/" VERSION_CODENAME=tricia UBUNTU_CODENAME=bionicNext to "ID_LIKE" we can see our distribution is based off of Ubuntu, so we select Ubuntu in the Microsoft directory. In most cases, the version of our OS does not correlate at all to the base distro, so search on the internet what version your base distribution version is, including the code-name of it. You can find the code-name by looking at the output of the command and finding "UBUNTU_CODENAME," replacing "UBUNTU" with the name of your base distro.
So in my case, I would search "Ubuntu bionic release version" since my base distro is "ubuntu" and the code-name of my base distro is "bionic." The result I get from the internet is 18.04.5 LTS, so I would select 18.04 in the Microsoft directory.
If there is no "ID_LIKE," and your OS is not in the Microsoft directory, then try installing .NET manually by clicking here. There also may be easier instructions on how to install .NET by searching up "how to install .NET core on X" on the internet, where "X" is your distro name. Also keep in mind that some operating systems like Solus, Arch, and Gentoo are not based off of anything, though some distros like Gentoo and Arch provide .NET Core ready to install without adding Microsoft's repository or doing any extra steps. Just make sure .NET Core is v5 and above. Again, they may have the .NET packages already ready to install without adding Microsoft's repository, so check on the internet on how to install .NET for your distro.
Step 2: Installing OpenTabletDriver
Ubuntu/DebianDownload the latest release of OpenTabletDriver from https://github.com/OpenTabletDriver/OpenTabletDriver/releases. I personally used the v0.5.3.1 version. Upon opening the link the latest release should be already visible (if not scroll up to it), and download the OpenTabletDriver.deb package under the "Assets" drop-down menu.
Once downloading the package, open it with your favorite package installer or just run
cd ~/DownloadsAnd then
sudo apt install ./OpenTabletDriver.debIf you have moved the file to a different location, cd to the directory in which its located and then run the "sudo apt install" command.
Then run
systemctl --user daemon-reloadAnd
systemctl --user enable opentabletdriver --now
Arch Linux
Use an AUR helper to install the opentabletdriver-git package. On Manjaro, you just need to open your software preferences, go to the AUR tab, enable it (with updates on), and hit close; then you can graphically search for the package and install it.
Then run
systemctl --user daemon-reloadAnd
systemctl --user enable opentabletdriver --now
Other Distro
If you would like to provide instructions on how to install OpenTabletDriver, please put them in the comments! I don't have the time currently to make instructions for other distros.
Step 3: Making OpenTabletDriver work
Once you have installed it, open it and follow the guide that shows you how to use the application. You can also open the GUI by running "opentabletdriver" inside your terminal.Once you are done with following the introduction tutorial, it is highly likely your tablet wont be detected. Lets make it so it can.
First install Git by running:
sudo apt install -y gitAnd then run each of these commands individually, from top to bottom:
git clone https://github.com/InfinityGhost/OpenTabletDriver-udev.git cd OpenTabletDriver-udev git submodule update --init --remote ./build.sh sudo mv ./build/99-opentabletdriver.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/99-opentabletdriver.rules sudo udevadm control --reload-rules cd .. rm -rf OpenTabletDriver rm -rf OpenTabletDriver-udevAfter that restart your computer to put the changes into effect.
The above commands basically enables any application to interact with any tablet that OpenTabletDriver supports. You may want to do these commands again when you reinstall a newer version of OpenTabletDriver. You should especially want do these commands again if you are installing a newer version of the drivers and if you are trying to use a tablet that OpenTabletDriver previously did not support.
After this, you are finished! If you are still having issues, look at the Linux FAQ for solutions to common problems. If you are still having issues, join the OpenTabletDriver Discord server for support. If all else fails, open a issue ticket.