Hudechrome, this is not quite how it works. Granted, I used a lot of technical specifics in my explanation, without a big picture view. So here it is. It's long. Sorry; that's unavoidable given the complexity of the situation.
CAD tablets are very similar to graphics tablets, but they tend to have a lot more template keys ("ExpressKeys" in Wacom terminology), and their users prefer to customize them to a much larger extent. The patent troll worked in the CAD tablet industry, where a souped-up driver was often purchased separately to the hardware, and cost quite a bundle. Since AutoCAD costs far more than Photoshop, customers did not regard this as an unreasonable price to pay.
In the graphics tablet industry, the driver has traditionally been free and bundled with the tablet. The manufacturer of the tablet supplies the driver, and codes it to a standard tablet API. Applications then consume that standard, and it is unnecessary for applications to do anything manufacturer-specific for different models of tablets. There is some customization, but it's minimal compared to the CAD world. So, to a large extent, it really is generic and universal.
But there are two tablet standards: (1) Wintab, developed in the mid-1990s and not updated since, which is owned by a patent troll, even though a different company invented it. The troll has been very aggressive in filing lawsuits. (2) the Microsoft Tablet API, released in 2002, which only offers basic functionality (includes pressure, though), but is available for free use by everyone on the Windows platform.
Note that a graphics tablet often costs less than just a CAD driver (even some Wacoms are low-cost, like the Bamboo), which obviously presents a problem in terms of licensing (the fact that the Wintab patent is owned by a one-guy company, and the guy is quite combative, and he disappears to climb mountains from time to time, doesn't help).
N-Trig and Finepoint, which make (made) digitizers for Tablet PCs, chose to support the Microsoft API. People from Finepoint have, in fact, pointed to the patent troll as the reason why they cannot offer Wintab support. Wacom supports Wintab (legal settlement, terms unknown, I suspect they got the better of him due to their market power and patent portfolio -- makes it easy to countersue). But Wacom also supports the Microsoft API, because they were intimately involved with the genesis of the Tablet PC. This is also why I have a hard time finding fault with Wacom. Yes, their stuff is expensive, and they've got a near-monopoly, but they've "done the right thing" in all respects, and they're accomodating, and their drivers are nice, and I've had largely good experiences with their customer support (compare to Adobe).
But now consider what this means. To my knowledge, every graphics tablet maker now supports the Microsoft API. Largely, this is because all the hardware makers want to claim compatibility with Vista. Plus, they can support the Microsoft API without risk of getting sued out of existence. (Besides, if anyone's going to launch lawsuits, they're going to go after Microsoft's deeper pockets.) In other words, it would be very strange to deny that the Microsoft Tablet API is the new universal standard, whereas Wintab has become legacy (i.e., deprecated) by virtue of being locked away in the clutches of a patent troll.
It's a bit difficult to follow this situation because so many companies are involved, and it's split into so many elements. There are CAD tablets and graphics tablets, there are components suppliers (N-Trig) and PC vendors (HP) and ISVs (Adobe) and driver makers (The Logic Group). If you don't understand all aspects of the situation, or (as Chris did) choose to ignore the situation, then it becomes easy to place blame on the wrong party. When so many companies are involved, they can all blame each other rather than work on their piece of the pie, to fix it.
So far in this thread, Adobe's attitude has proceeded as follows (obvious objections in brackets):
- Adobe supports Wintab, and it's N-Trig's fault for not using it. Only they can fix it. [Can you really fault N-Trig, given the situation? In any case, Adobe can fix it too, not just for N-Trig, but for the entire industry, including future entrants into the market.]
- The Microsoft Tablet API sucks, and we're not going to use it. It's missing all these things that are essential for Photoshop, and it's horribly buggy. [No, it's got what we want, and we feel you're exaggerating the bugs to use it as an excuse.]
- OK, N-Trig's not alone. But it's only two companies that don't support Wintab, everyone else does. And they're doing this just to shortchange their customers and save "pennies". [Also false, there are many more than two, and international companies aren't susceptible to the patent troll. And if it were truly a matter of "pennies," do you think we'd be in this situation? And why do you hate N-Trig so much? By all appearances, they're an innovative young startup -- inexperienced, but has good intentions. Adobe was a startup once. Follow the Golden Rule.]
- Fine, we'll look into the Microsoft API, but it's a rough fit, and it's up to Microsoft to make changes. [Much better. Now just drop the condition on Microsoft, and we'll be happy. We don't want to hear the same excuse four years from now.]
- You're distorting everything I say, and you're trolling. [To both parts: Am I?]
- We'll do what we can to support the Microsoft Tablet API in Photoshop. No mention of demands on Microsoft. [Great! We'll take this as an official commitment.]
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