Implementation Issues in Adding Force Feedback to the X Desktop

This paper describes implementation issues encountered in a project to add force feedback to the X Window System desktop in an attempt to add true “feel” to the window system’s “look and feel”. Haptic additions to the interface include adding ridges around icons and menu items to aid interaction, alignment guides for moving windows, and a number of other enhancements to window manipulation. The issues discussed here include the precise descriptions of the forces computed, as well as lower-level issues such as how to achieve those forces with GHOST.