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⇱ SDL Library Lands Precision Scrolling For X.Org Usage - Phoronix


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SDL Library Lands Precision Scrolling For X.Org Usage

Written by Michael Larabel in Linux Gaming on 5 August 2025 at 06:52 AM EDT. 12 Comments
For Linux gamers relying on the X.Org Server, the SDL3 library that is widely-used by cross-platform games has landed support for precision/pixel scrolling.

Merged yesterday to the SDL3 library for the X.Org code path when using X Input 2 is support for precision scrolling for more precise scrolling than what's been available to this point.

The work stems from this three year old merge request for the Simple DirectMedia Layer to use pixel-level scrolling with X Input 2:
"This patch will automatically detect precision scroll devices using xinput2, allowing for SDL applications to detect scrolling changes smaller than one line, allowing for smooth scrolling on devices with touchpads, trackpoints, and trackballs."

X Input 2 has been around for more than a decade already and so for those still running an X.Org Server in a modern Linux environment, the support should be available. Some 200 lines of new SDL3 code for enhancing the scrolling experience.

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Separately, SDL yesterday also released SDL 3.2.20 with some fixes. There is a fix for doubled mouse wheel events on X11, support for the Google Play 16KB page size requirement, fixing audio playback on the PSP, and various other fixes.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.