HELP: Desktop keyboard input environment ...
Hi,
The keyboard input needs attention from all DEs in a well cordinated
way.
I checked current non-English buster Desktop keyboard input landscape
via popcon inst figures and package dependencies:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
IM package popcon - Pull in by "Depends"
-----|---------------|-------|-------------------------------------------
ibus (libibus-1.0-5) 29.93% - task-gnome-desktop (via gnome-core)
,, (ibus) - core 1.09% - (recommended from task-tamil-gnome-desktop)
SCIM (libscim8v5) 8.68% - task-kde-desktop (via plasma-desktop)
,, (scim) - core 0.47% - recommended from task-chinese-t-desktop)
Fcitx (fcitx-bin) 1.00% - task-chinese-s-kde-desktop
,, (fcitx) - core 0.93% - (recommended from task-chinese-{s,t}-desktop)
uim (libuim8) 0.88% - (recommended from task-japanese-desktop)
uim (uim) - core 0.71% - (recommended from task-japanese-desktop)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think, unlike the older releases, English users are more exposed to IM
related problems.
All of the above IM's core packages supporting input to XIM (supporting
old X based input not using the library based input GTK/QT route)
recommend im-config which provides hook scripts in /etc/X11/Xsession.d
to start the input daemon process for XIM and sets environment variables
to select IM library behavior to be chosen for GTK/QT.
----- (im-config) 2.62% - (recommended from task-chinese-s-desktop)
Fortunately, for now, core IM packages are not automatically installed
and started by im-config for English users and don't need to worry IM
too much yet.
But to make Debian Universal OS, this is not good enough. Debian should
be usable for non-English users. If you look at bug pages of IM, it's
not a pretty scene.
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=ibus
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=scim
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=fcitx
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=uim
ibus-wayland has a grave bug https://bugs.debian.org/905001 which I am
not technically skilled to fix it. Should I stop supplying it for
buster? Can a wayland specialist help us?
When corresponding IM libraries are missing, XIM is used for GTK/QT
input but it tends to create problems such as
https://bugs.debian.org/884364 ... (The recent ibus upload recommending
all GTK2/GTK3/QT4/QT5 input glue libraries should avoid people hitting
XIM, I hope.)
If people install ibus with recommends in stretch or buster to non-Gnome
environment and happen to Exit from the GUI panel by right clicking,
keyboard input to running processes goes into very strange situation
https://bugs.debian.org/922334 . This is bad. I need help from
KDE/LXDE people to get best solution (I use Gnome). (This may not be
just ibus problem. But may be same for others.)
Ubuntu seems to solve some of the problem by pre-installing and
configuring IM via initial configuration utility which is more than what
Debian task mechanism offers. Maybe they should push some of them to
Debian.
The use of wayland and systemd has created a whole new situation beyond
the original design scope of im-config. Environment variable to select
IM library for GTK under wayland doesn't seems to be set by im-config
any more which I wrote and maintain. Unlike simple shell script for
Xsession, I really don't know how to get all the dbus and systemd sorted
out for IM neutral way nor have time to learn all the different
internals of different DEs.
I think it's time for people who know much more than me to lead and
build and improve system integration of IM packages to each DE.
I think we need more discussion among Gnome/KDE/LXDE/... to create more
user friendly set up and configuration.
It's easy to come up with "It works for me" solution. But it's not easy
to make neutral solution to support all the diverse DE environments.
Keyboard input is essential for the usability of the system.
Anyone volunteer to lead this situation?
Osamu
PS: Without recent contribution by new people, ibus and scim could have
been much worse situation. I am very short on time. Thank you all who
helped IM.
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