Bug#447841: keyboard layout changed in X, mod keys not working

[Norbert Preining <preining@logic.at>]

Package: hal
Version: 0.5.10-1
Severity: critical

Hi!

This is related to #447813, but I guess it is a hal problem since on my
computer only hal was updated and not xorg.

There are in fact several problems:

Content:
* kbd layout
* modifier keys
* xmodmap format changes


* kbd layout
============

So today when I tried to log on using gdm I suddenly have the following
problem: I had 
		Section "InputDevice"
			Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
			Driver		"kbd"
			Option		"CoreKeyboard"
			Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
			Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
			Option		"XkbLayout"	"de"
			Option		"XkbVariant"	"nodeadkeys"
		EndSection
and suddenly I have a different kbd layout, namely US layout (qwerty).


* modifier keys are hosed
==========================
it is even IMPOSSIBLE to switch to the text console:
Ctrl-Alt-F1 etc does not work.

Now that is *REALLY* grave because I cannot switch to text console and
check the situation (ok, log on as user, change kbd properties in gnome,
call switchvt, ...).

I assume that this is about the newly included kbd hotplug stuff.

* xmodmap format change
========================

On a different computer with an italian kbd I didn't realize this
immediately at login time, since italian have qwerty, too, only the
'right' corner is different. But logging into gnome hosed everything
because the layout was again US. After changing it back to italian I was
settled at least for that.

BUT: Normally I load a 3-line .Xmodmap file to get german umlauts with
RAlt-a etc. Loading this suddenly made even my NORMAL 'a' an 'ä'.

By calling xmodmap -pke I found that the format change, before I had
	keycode NNN = a A adiaeresis Adiareses ...
now I need
	keycode NNN = a A a A adiaeresis Adiaeresis ...

This again is a grave bug: If .Xmodmap is loaded you suddenly have only
Umlauts to type and cannot enter a/u/o which is really stupid.

=========================================

Please FIX this soon, it is a pain....


Best wishes

Norbert

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Norbert Preining <preining@logic.at>        Vienna University of Technology
Debian Developer <preining@debian.org>                         Debian TeX Group
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