OpenLogi

2 anecdotes about Logitech software:

I had a high-end webcam that flickered. There should be switch in the software to switch from 50hz to 60hz that'd fix it but it was nowhere to be found. After digging deeper I found that it was only available in English version of software. It was before macOS had Setting to set language per app, so I had to manually replace Polish bundle with English one through binary.

Another one: Has K810 keyboard that started in "FN-by-default" mode. K811, Mac version of said keyboard allowed for changing default setting just as K810 on Windows, but K810 on Mac - no dice. Support told me to shell out 200€ on Mac keyboard so I ended up writing small binary switcher [0] that would run after keyboard got connected [0].

[0]: https://github.com/exlee/k810_fkeys_mac

For Linux, there is https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar

But on another note, the genai content on the website is just so distracting and such a bummer. It sticks out like sore thumb.

Ive been building something very similar to this for Razer devices

https://github.com/gh123man/OpenSnek

Similar to other reverse engineering threads ive seen recently, AI is empowering us to replace crappy vendor software with something better.

Also - OpenSnek documents a mostly complete bluetooth spec for the Razer vendor protocol which as far as I know, hasn't been done anywhere else yet!

Great effort, thanks for that.

But do we still trust the open source software that is created now everything is vibe coded?

Recently there was a thread about Chatto [1], a Slack replacement completely vibe coded by one person. It works and looks nice. But looking at the code, I wouldn’t trust any of my personal information to it. It’s just tousands of lines of skills and vague instructions. It seems that trust in OSS is eroding and big SaaS might win here because they have the reputation.

[1] https://github.com/chattocorp/chatto

Logitech seems to suck at software. Why do you need an online account to remap your mouse buttons?

Same for the harmony 1100 which is a universal remote but can’t ever be programmed again since logitech killed their online server. It had the secret sauce for generating the binary blob to send the device to program it and nobody could figure out how this mess actually works to reimplement it. It seems like the blob wasn’t just parameters but also all sorts of scripts that changed with the config.

Needless to say I steer clear of Logitech anything now. It’s joined my blacklist along with Samsung and LG.

In case it’s not known, Logitech does offer an offline version of Options+ meant for air gapped and more secured systems:

https://support.logi.com/hc/change_language/en-in?return_to=...

Cool project, but I hate how every new site has this obviously LLM generated copy :( I feel like most people who use it for their copy don’t realize how obvious it is.

Good to see open source alternatives to the awful Logitech software. I only realized how bad the Logitech software is after switching from a G502 with on-board memory to an MX Master mouse that does not have on-board memory and needs to have the app constantly running in the background to use the gestures. Personally I've been using BetterMouse on macOS with my MX Master, although it's not open source.

For a while now BetterTouchTool [0] supports Logitech mice [1]. It's paid, but it's absolutely worth its price. It's super powerful and you can do all kinds of funky stuff with it, not only mouse related. I would suggest looking into it if you want more advanced features, I've been a very happy user for many years now.

[0] https://folivora.ai

[1] https://docs.folivora.ai/docs/normal-mouse/logitech

Good morning HN. Hope you're enjoying your daily dose of claudeslop app.

See you all tomorrow when we do it all over again.

I like how some hardware brands, Keychron for example, are making it's software browser based via WebUSB – https://launcher.keychron.com/

You can configure and update your stuff anywhere where modern browsers can run, and have 0 spyware on your computer

It's not open source but I have to shout out Steermouse which has been replacing Logitech's awful Mac software for ~25 years

https://www.plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/download.php

Doesn't work, HID error when adding a device (which is paired with and connected to my computer. Logi Options never installed on this Mac.)

Unfortunately the very obvious and quite grating LLM copy in the site and in descriptive text on the app does not make me feel well-disposed towards something that I really want to exist. Consequently, uninstalling. I'm surprised that I feel this way, but I actually trust Logitech more than this low effort thing.

Looks like someone stole LinearMouse's code and vibed it better . https://linearmouse.app/zh-CN/

Shocking that in this time and age, a simple peripheral like a mouse still needs a dedicated piece of software to be installed. In my Linux boxes, I just plug in a standard mouse and get the standard functions. I think the device driver should know about the low-level interface to the mouse: know how it points, what buttons, scroll wheels, and other inputs it may have, etc. Then the OS would process it like any mouse. If you need to connect some buttons to specific actions, that could be handled by a user-level program running on the machine that could know how to do those actions. But that level should be far removed from knowing what brand (or type) of input device you are using.

Of course producers like Logitech want you to install their own thing, so as to make it harder for you to switch to other brands of hardware, but an open system like Linux should not play along with that.