Bug#269052: xserver-xfree86: keymappings lost after a few keystrokes

[Toni Mueller <support@oeko.net>]

Hi,

On Fri, 08.10.2004 at 17:39:52 -0500, Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> wrote:
> I'm sorry it has taken a while to follow up to this report.

no problem.

> Can you tell us what you're trying to accomplish with your xmodmap
> configuration?  Perhaps there is an XKB configuration we can recommend that
> will serve your needs.

Of course:

I'm a native speaker of German, not English, and use some other
languages on occasion. Example: Swedish, rarely French. My work
consists about half of programming and discussing with English speaking
people, and the other half is writing texts in German. I'm a user of
vi, emacs and LaTeX, too...

Most programming languages require the use of braces, brackets,
backslashes and the like which are very awkward to reach on a normal
German keyboard layout. Likewise, and depending on the keyboard, Escape
may be far off, Backspace and Delete switched, and you name it - there
are other oddities on keyboards which make work cumbersome and
straining. These I correct partially with my xmodmap as follows:

- Select a base layout of en_US (pc105)
- Make "AltGR" let me type in the German Umlauts with ease (and where
  they are prointed on the keycaps).
- Swap Backspace and Delete
- Swap 'Escape' and 'Menu'
- Have the few more rarely used keys on AltGR + some other key (eg.
  AltGR + 'a' -> å)

I'm already looking into XKB, but haven't gotten very far.


Best,
--Toni++