Bug#279055: xfree86-common: Keyboard configuration FAQ has some typos and is not always clear enough
Package: xfree86-common
Subject: xfree86-common: Keyboard configuration FAQ has some typos and is not
always clear enough
Version: 4.3.0.dfsg.1-8
Severity: minor
Tags: patch
*** Please type your report below this line ***
The answer to FAQ "My keyboard configuration worked with XFree86 4.2;
why is it messed up now?" has some minor errors. When I started cleaning
them up, I decided to clarify the language too. A patch is attached. Let
me know if you have any questions about anything I changed.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: powerpc (ppc)
Kernel: Linux 2.4.25-powerpc
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)
Versions of packages xfree86-common depends on:
ii debconf 1.4.39 Debian configuration management
sy
ii debianutils 2.10.3 Miscellaneous utilities specific
t
-- debconf information excluded
--- FAQ.xhtml.dist 2004-10-14 19:42:50.000000000 +0200
+++ newFAQ.xhtml 2004-10-31 11:55:46.000000000 +0100
@@ -2909,51 +2909,60 @@
in the X Window System?"</a> above for explanantions of unfamiliar
terms.</em></p>
+<p>The method for specifying third- and fourth- glyphs changed between XFree86
+4.2 and 4.3. Instead of using a second <em>group</em> for these glyphs, the
+third and fourth <em>levels</em> are now used. Almost all keymaps are now
+defined in a single group, which may affect users with xmodmap customizations.
+These changes were made to better support users with non-US keyboards.</p>
+
<p>Many users of the X Window System, particularly outside the United States,
-find that they need support for multiple <em>groups</em> on their keyboards.
-One or more of the keys on their keyboards are engraved with more than two
+need support for more than two glyphs per key because some keys are
+engraved with more than two
glyphs. On a typical U.S. keyboard, there are at most two glyphs on each keycap
— one is accessed with a <code>Shift</code> or <code>Caps Lock</code> key,
-and one without. Many keyboards outside the United States enable access to
-glyphs beyond the third with modifier keys not found on most U.S. keyboards.
-One approach is with an <code>AltGr</code> (alternate group) key, which is
-analogous to <code>Shift</code>. The other approach is with a <code>Mode
-Switch</code> key, which is analogous to <code>Caps Lock</code>. When either of
-these keys are pressed, the X Window System needs to know to switch to an
-alternative key layout — preferably one which corresponds to the
-engravings on the user's keyboard. A U.S. keyboard, even if keys are remapped
-so that <code>AltGr</code> and/or <code>Mode Switch</code> keys are available,
-does not acquire much meaningful additional functionality unless and alternate
-group is defined in software, so that "the keys know what to do" when the
-alternate group is enabled.</p>
-
-<p>Sometimes a key layout for a given territory (such as <code>gb</code> for the
-United Kingdom or <code>fr</code> for France) defines what should be in the
-alternate group. For example, on many European keyboards, one can press
-<kbd>AltGr + E</kbd> to produce the Euro sign (€). This approach is often
-taken when most keys don't need an symbol defined for the alternate group,
-because most keys are engraved with two or fewer glyphs.</p>
-
-<p>Other times, however, most or all of the printing keys on the keyboard are
-engraved with primary group <em>and</em> alternate group glyphs. Russian
-keyboards, for example, because they must support both the Latin and Cyrillic
-alphabets, often work this way. As a consequence, users of the X Window System
+and one without. To enable access to
+these third, fourth, or fifth glyphs, these keyboards use modifier keys not found on most U.S.
+keyboards.</p>
+
+<p>PC Keyboards for Latin-script characters ususally have an <code>AltGr</code>
+(alternate graphic) key that replaces the right Alt key. When a key is
+pressed while the <code>AltGr</code> key is down will generate the third glyph, and when
+<code>Shift</code> and <code>AltGr</code> are down, it will generate the fourth
+glyph. For example, on many European keyboards, one can press
+<kbd>AltGr + E</kbd> to produce the Euro sign (€).</p>
+
+<p>Non-Latin keyboards can have most of the keys
+engraved with non-Latin <em>and</em> Latin glyphs. For example, Russian
+keyboards often work this way because they must support both the Latin and Cyrillic
+alphabets. As a consequence, users of the X Window System
need a way to <em>combine layouts</em>.</p>
+<p>There are two ways to specify a third glyph: either make a second group
+for the key and assign it to the first shift-level of the key's second group,
+or assign it to the third shift-level of the key. Prior to XFree86 4.3, these
+glyphs were defined using the first method and since 4.3 they use the second
+method. The keysym used to generate these third glyphs also changes. Prior
+to 4.3 the Mode_switch keysym would be used, and now the ISO_Level3_Shift
+keysym is used. By moving from the muliple-group to the shift-level method,
+combined layouts become much more flexible and easier to maintain.</p>
+
<p>Prior to XFree86 4.3, combining layouts was difficult because keyboard
-symbols (<em>keysyms</em>) were defined to be specific to a given group. For
+symbols (<em>keysyms</em>) were defined to a specific group, and
+some layouts even defined multiple groups in the same layout. For
example, the <code>us</code> symbols file (in <code
class="filespec">/etc/X11/xkb/symbols/</code>) defined the its keycode to keysym
mappings specifically for group 1 — the primary group. The
<code>us_group2</code> and <code>us_group3</code> files repeated these
-definitions for group 2 and group 3, respectively. In addition to being
-wasteful, alternative group layouts were never copied in this fashion for any
-territory except the U.S. Combining Russian and French layouts, for example,
-was consequently impossible without modifying the XKB data files directly
+definitions for group 2 and group 3, respectively.
+Maintaining these separatly grouped layouts was tedious and error-prone, so
+alternative group layouts were never copied in this fashion for any
+territory except the U.S. This made combining, say, Russian and French layouts
+impossible without modifying the XKB data files directly
— a skill most users do not possess.</p>
-<p>XKB layouts have been revisited in XFree86 4.3, and new definitions can now
-be used in arbitrary order so that <code>us,ru</code> and <code>ru,us</code> use
+
+<p>XKB layouts were revisited in XFree86 4.3, and new definitions can now
+be used in arbitrary order so that <code>fr,ru</code> and <code>ru,fr</code> use
the same <code>symbols</code> files. The new definitions have been placed in
<code class="filespec">/etc/X11/xkb/symbols/pc/</code> while the old ones are
still available in their traditional location; that is, directly within the
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