Graphics tablets work in linux?

[reallynicejerk]

I was just looking at buying this drawing tablet

http://www.package2you.com/details.htm?productid=32-1158

and wondered if anyone had used anything similar in linux, wondering if linux supported such a device? seems like it wouldn't be any more complicated than a mouse and should be supported but that would suck to buy it and find out that it didn't work in linux as was the case with a Creative webcam that I bought.

[Hayl]

I have a Wacom tablet. It is fully supported under the Linux kernel.

[Taris_Kah]

I would definatly go with Wacom, they are really nice and you can get a graphire for a decent price, Wacom advantages are 1) wireless [and batteryless] 2) many levels of pressure 3) probably the best supported in Linux, I can use my Graphire in Mandrake9 even without drivers!

[reallynicejerk]

how much is the wacom one?

That one there in that link that I was looking at there was only $20 and I'm not going to be using it enough to spend much more than that...

also, how does it work if it's both wireless and battery-less?

[Taris_Kah]

The Wacom Graphire2 is the current “cheap” it runs around $99 retail. I checked around the net and it appears you can buy the first generation Graphires for around $30 from a retail internet store.
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1067532374&meta_id=null
There is a page with a couple of links on it. Looks like TechSavings is the cheapest.

How the wireless works is that the tablet does have a wire, but the mouse/pen does not have any cords or batteries what-so-ever, due to the magnetic technology it uses it can be powered through the touch of the tablet, Wacome is the only that I know of which uses this technology and I have loved it for a long time now... If you do any kind of drawing or image manipulation on the computer you'll never want to touch of mouse again when doing graphics.

[mdwatts]

The Wacom is roughly $150. Cdn.