Re: Bug#493720: Installation Report
* Christian Perrier <bubulle@debian.org> [080807 09:28]:
> The de-latin1-nodeadkeys keymap, which we offer as only choice for
> German does indeed chainload de-latin1.
>
> So, the udeb has to provide that file.
>
> On the other hand, Noèl Köthe, in another report, mentioned he was
> unable to type his name properly because of the lack of dead keys.
>
> In that other bug report, I asked him whether the German users would
> be gurted if the only choice we offer for German is de-latin1 and not
> de-latin1-nodeadkeys.
The problem with deadkey variants is that for most users it simply makes
important characters like ~ or ^ (or less important ` and °) simply
unaccessible, as people are not used to the dead keys variant and that
they have to press those keys twice or followed by space.
Thus while dead keys might be nice to write foreign names, if users
are thrown to a shell with this settings, they believe the keyboard
or the software is broken.
If this setting (dead keys) is only used in the installer, it might be
an bearable annoyance. But if that is then propagated to also be the default
in the installed system, I would consider it a mayor regression.
What about having some Multi_Key (or whatever it is called in loadkeys
syntax, I usually forget shortly after adding it there) as compromise.
That would both get a sane default and enable people to enter names
from other languages. (This would actually even more nice for US
layouts, as US layout keyboards are common and then people cannot even
use characters from their own language on it).
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
--
"Never contain programs so few bugs, as when no debugging tools are available!"
Niklaus Wirth
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