On Mon, 12 Sep 2016, Doug wrote:
On 09/11/2016 11:47 PM, davidson@freevolt.org wrote:
On Mon, 12 Sep 2016, davidson@freevolt.org wrote:
And if I wanted that behavior all the time, I would edit the file
/etc/default/keyboard, adding compose:rwin to the comma-separated list
of pairs in XKBOPTIONS.
Of course, editing that file will change the default system-wide, for
everybody. Even, erm, Mark! (...if running Ubuntu.)
Maybe that is not what you want.
It looks like your code sets up the right Win key to be Compose,
I don't know why it would bother anyone using the machine. It
wouldn't stay that way
if you rebooted into Windows, and the key does nothing at all
(that I know of) in Linux.
I see your point. That particular change is not going to surprise
anyone. It won't turn an expected character key into an unexpected
dead key, and then keep some other user from entering their password,
quotation marks, etc.
In other words, no fun at all.
As it happens, I have an old IBM model M keyboard with no
Windows keys, so I use the right alt key. Also, PCLOS has an
option in the keyboard setup to choose a Compose key. Are you
sure that Debian doesn't
have that capability built in, somewhere?
No, I am certainly not certain about that. And I imagine there are
desktop-environment-specific ways of configuring keyboard default
preferences like this, and doing so per-user. It will be interesting
to see if someone who uses the OP's DE suggests one.
In the meantime there is also this:
# dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuation
It asks many questions. One of the questions it eventually asks is
about your compose key--whether you want one, which key you want it to
be, etc.
It edits /etc/default/keyboard to conform to your answers. So the same
caveat about "system-wide changes, hope everyone will be equally
thrilled" applies. A backup of the file you started with, before you
made changes, could be convenient to have.
(I happen to be a big fan of Compose, because even if you don't
write a European language,
Aha, a Brexit joke. Good one.
it does other useful things—like that m-dash I just wrote.
Mastery of sarcasm: Check.
And ½, ⅓, ⅜, ©, 75°, µF, 17¢, and others.)
I see recognisable glyphs for five out of seven of those. My
environment does not support the other two.
So I know what they are not, but I don't know what they are. Very
mysterious. Could be IPA symbols. Could be a happy face next to a
clover/club symbol. I may never know.