iBook G4 (ppc), finnish keyboard, brackets?

Roland Wegmann rowe_gnu at gmx.net
Sat Nov 13 18:09:53 UTC 2004


Am Samstag, den 13.11.2004, 06:45 +0000 schrieb Jari Oksanen:
> Martin Pitt <martin.pitt <at> canonical.com> writes:
> 
> >>
> > This is currently discussed on ubuntu-devel and on bug 
> > https://bugzilla.ubuntulinux.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2327
> > 
> > On
> > 
> >   http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
> > 
> > you find an easy solution which maps the Apple key as an AltGr
> > emulation.
> > 
> >
> Thanks for the prompt answer.
> 
> This really works. Now the keyboard mapping is similar as in my i368/Linux
> desktop. It is different from MacOS X in this very same iBook, but you can't get
> all (or can you?).

you can! but you have to modify the file you choose in  XF86Config-4. I
am the owener of a alu powerbook with a swiss german keyboard. my
'keyboard' settings in XF86Config-4 are

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "keyboard"
        Option          "CoreKeyboard"
        Option          "XkbRules"      "xfree86"
        Option          "XkbModel"      "pc105"
        Option          "XkbLayout"     "de_CH"
EndSection

that means I use the 'symbol' file de_CH (/etc/X11/xkb/symbols) and
modify it. so that I have a swiss german keyboard 'similar' to that one
I was accustomed to under MacOSX. I have to say clearly I am not an
X11-keyboard-expert!! but I suppose the options XkbModel and XkbLayout
are used in the file /etc/X11/xkb/rules/xfree86 (option XkbRules) to
determine which componets defines your keyboard settings. on the basis
of this file I found out (exactly I think I found out) that the
file /etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86 shows the connection between the
keycodes the tool 'xev' gave me and the abbreviations you can find in
the file

/etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86, see example below

xkb_keycodes "basic" {

    minimum= 8;
    maximum= 255;

    <TLDE> =  49;
    <AE01> =  10;
    <AE02> =  11;
    <AE03> =  12;
    <AE04> =  13;

and in the file /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/de_CH, see example below

    // Describes the differences between a very simple US/ASCII
    // keyboard and a very simple Swiss keyboard

    // Alphanumeric section
    name[Group1]= "Swiss German";
    key <TLDE> {        [   section,    degree          ]       };
    key <AE01> {        [         1,    plus            ]       };
    key <AE02> {        [         2,    quotedbl        ]       };
    key <AE03> {        [         3,    asterisk        ],

Finaly, I had to find out the name of the symbols (example: 'plus'
stands for +; 'section' stands for ยง). The file /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/us
and the manpages of xmodmap and keymaps (and some Internet research)
help me to understand the 'system' of the file 'de_CH'. so I added to
the file 'de_CH' for example the line

    key <AC05> {        [         g,    G               ],
                        [        at                     ]       };

in order to set the symbol @ (at) to the key 'g' (or <AC05> or
xev-keycode 42). In addition I had to add the line 

    key <LALT> {        [  Mode_switch, Multi_key       ]       };

in order to activate the 'alt' key. Further you have to know the system
of files like 'de_CH' (compare with the example above):

key <AC05> { [	g,	G	],[	at	]	};

if you press key <AC05> the display shows a 'g'
if you press key shift+<AC05> the display shows a 'G'
if you press key alt+<AC05> the display shows a '@'
you can activate level four if you modify the <AC05> entry like that

key <AC05> { [	g,	G	],[	at,	xxx	]	};

but then you have activate a further modification key in order to show
the symbol 'xxx' on the display (I did not know one can do that;for me
three levels are enough).

but you know: !!! I am not an x11-keyboard-expert !!! probaply I was
simply in luck


cheers, Roland





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