Re: Unicode Keyboard Input Linux

[Elvis Presley <elvispresleydied@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Andries Brouwer <Andries.Brouwer@xxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sat, Jun 12, 2004 at 09:56:52AM -0700, Elvis
> Presley wrote:
> 
> > Re: Unicode Keyboard Input Linux 
> > 
> > I'm interested in using the Linux console as a
> > multi-language keyboard
> > 
> > 1) How do I switch the keyboard from language to
> > language?
> 
> The kernel keyboard driver does not have the concept
> of language. It has a keymap. You load it with the
> loadkeys utility. Keymaps are rather powerful. They
> have 256 possible shift states and any key can be a
> locking shift, so after pressing one of your chosen
> key combinations you can use a different part of the
> keymap. You have a FSM here.

"You can use a different part of the keymap..."

So, a single keymap contains maps for many languages;
there is only one keymap file active at a time.

That's nice, because it saves a configuration file.
You can switch between mappings using the keymap file
itself.

> 
> > I read somewhere yesterday that you can switch
> > between Ukranian and English keyboards using the
> > RightAlt key,
> 
> This is not a property of Linux, but a property of
> that particular keymap. You can do things just as
> you like.

> 
> > let me make some proposals:
> 
> Proposals to yourself?

Yes, to myself, just to build a picture in my mind.
The list of mappings will be highly variable, and
intuitive to each person. I was interested only in the
mechanism. The ESC sequence is definately out.

It appears I can use the Alt-key combination.

I worked on a Unix system years ago, before X, and the
virtual terminals were mapped to Alt-F1, Alt-F2 etc.
They were character-mode terminals only, and utf-8 was
just being designed (it was 1992).

I'm wondering now how 'virtual terminals' coexists
with X and xterms. They do the same thing, but old
habits die hard, I really liked virtual terminals.

> 
> The base documentation is that which comes with the
> kbd package. Manual pages for loadkeys, setfont,
> keymaps.

Thanks, I'll take a closer look at the man pages for
keymaps again.

> 
> These things are tricky and messy, and it is easiest
> just to leave matters to the distribution. But if
> you like to fiddle with them yourself, you can.

Thanks
:)

> 
> Andries
> 
> --
> Linux-UTF8:   i18n of Linux on all levels
> Archive:      http://mail.nl.linux.org/linux-utf8/
> 



	
		
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--
Linux-UTF8:   i18n of Linux on all levels
Archive:      http://mail.nl.linux.org/linux-utf8/