Re: Ubuntu X feature work for Intrepid
On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 06:44:09AM -0700, Bryce Harrington wrote:
>
> xorg-ctrl-alt-backspace
> -----------------------
> We've had bunches of requests for users to turn off this shortcut key,
> however it's quite useful to developers. A compromise has been to
> require holding it down for a short period of time (and/or hitting in
> quick succession). We're tentatively planning on trying this out,
> although I'm not 100% how to best implement it. I assume this wouldn't
> be of interest for Debian; let me know otherwise.
Check out the openSuSE 11 X server.
I'm not sure where to find the individual patches, i will ask our
package magician when i get to the office. But here is a full commit log
at least:
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-commit/2008-03/msg00899.html
If i can't find an easy url for this, i will have a reason to file that
bug on fd.o with the patches that i have been filing for months now...
About this code: Using the PC Speaker is the only sane way to implement
this, as you do not want to involve the X server in any way any more, as
the user (provided he has more than one braincell) will most likely have
his reasons for killing the X server.
One can think of all sorts of fancy solutions for warning the user, but
the main purpose of ctrl-alt-backspace then might get severely
diminished, and it's then better to disable zapping altogether.
So the machine beeps loudly, and when ctrl-alt-backspace is pressed
again within 2s, the Xserver bails. This is off per default, unless the
option ZapWarning is provided in the xorg.conf (which it is on fresh
installations of opensuse).
Issues:
* laptops don't always come with pc speakers. Here you just don't get
warned. (
* keyboard repeat can generate the second ctrl-alt-backspace after 250ms
already if you do not release within that time (which is not so likely).
I do not like this thing one bit, and implemented it as stepmotherly as
i could. The code is of course nice and cool, and rather trivial and
nonintrusive. But the beep is loud and long, so that the whole hallway
will find out that you're a spanner and don't know how to use a keyboard
or that this is the first time you're using an X server.
I have received a lot of flack for this code, but i always happily point
out the pointy haired people who wanted this in the first place (in as
far as those don't already draw a lot of attention to themselves with
their endless intrusive beeping now), and how this was done to end years
and years of useless, endless discussions. The people complaining
usually also haven't looked at their xorg.conf :)
It is not upstreamed because i am very certain people don't want this.
Either they want zapping disabled, or they have used a keyboard before.
It does lead to a fun game you can play amongst colleagues: Nurnberger
Zapwarning Shootout. With the colleagues sitting in the same office,
everybody presses ctrl-alt-backspace in sequence, as fast as possible.
Last one with a working X server wins, and gets a bratwurst from each of
the other contestants :)
Luc Verhaegen.
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