Re: Customizing the console key map?
Subject: Re: Customizing the console key map?
Date: Tue, May 29, 2001 at 02:36:24PM -0400
In reply to:Paul D. Smith
Quoting Paul D. Smith(pausmith@nortelnetworks.com):
> %% Wayne Topa <wtopa@dmcom.net> writes:
>
> wt> Quoting Paul D. Smith(pausmith@nortelnetworks.com):
>
> >> Is there any "approved" way to create customizations for the console key
> >> maps?
>
> wt> Way back when John Fist was writing 'The Linux Gazette" he had a
> wt> nice column on how to make a cudtom key map file. I believe it
> wt> was somewhere in the first 15 issues. As that was over 5 years
> wt> ago I don't recall the exact issue.
>
> Thanks; I found it
> (http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue01to08/keys-n-consoles.html), and it
> is a good article, but it talks about how to rebind console keys in
> general.
>
> I already know how to do this; what I want to know is whether there is
> any way to do it in Debian, so that when I upgrade my Debian packages
> console-tools (or kbd, I don't care much which one) my customizations
> are kept automatically without my having to go back in and fix them up.
I made a custom.map file, for slackware, from that article 5-6 years
ago. I have used it, without modification, on Debian since bo. I am
currently using it on potato, slink and woody boxes. I have never
had to change it.
The custom map applies to keyboards, so when I change to some exotic
one, all I have to do is add in the new keys.
>
> Look, for example, at how the X fonts are done: there is a directory
> /etc/X11/fonts/<dir> for each font type, and in there you can add your
> own files. For example, you could add a file
> /etc/X11/fonts/100dpi/my-fonts.alias and put your own font aliases in
> it; the system will automatically include and install those aliases for
> you when you run update-fonts-alias. This way, you don't have to edit
> a system config file to add your own aliases, which would entail
> re-editing those config files (or merging them or whatever) every time
> you updated to a new Debian X fonts package.
>
My custom.map file is only for the console. I setup keys for X in my
.xmodmap file.
> There are many examples of this separation of user customizations into
> separate files in Debian, which makes system customization and upgrades
> much simpler. Look, even, at /etc/network/interfaces: same principle is
> at work here. All the "package details" are taken out of that file and
> only user customizations are left. This makes upgrading these network
> packages much simpler for the user.
>
My custom.map file is customized as a seperate file and it goes from
machine to machine and upgrade to upgrade.
Maybe RedHat has a tool for that. They seem to be pretty good at
making tools for helping new users. I don't use redhat as I prefer to
understand what I am doing.
> I was hoping there was some similar way to defined my own "console key
> map customizations file" as a separate file, and have the console-tools
> (or kbd) automatically install/append/whatever that file into its
> default keymap when it's created.
>
Well I must not be understanding you correctly then. I made my
"console key map customizations file" myself and don't know or want any
file so general that it would modify my custom key maps. As I pointed
out above, I haven't had to modify it myself in over 5 years.
Besides, I use Linux so I can Admin my system and know why/what it is
doing. If I wanted someone else to tell me how it should be done I
would use windbloze or redhat.
Sorry I couldn't help.
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