Re: [gentoo-user] Installation: help me set up my keyboard, please.

[Alan Mackenzie <acm@muc.de>]

Hi, Sebastian!

On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 11:39:32PM +0200, Sebastian Günther wrote:
> * Alan Mackenzie (acm@muc.de) [18.07.08 23:00]:

[ .... ]

> > Except I've hit a brick wall.  I want to set up my console keyboard,
> > so I go to edit /etc/conf.d/keymaps, as described in the "x86
> > Handbook".

> Maybe you have just what the Germans call "Ein Brett vorm Kopf"

Hah!  That reminds me of a Monty Python sketch involving monks.  :-)

> > #########################################################################
> > # Use KEYMAP to specify the default console keymap.  There is a complete tree
> > # of keymaps in /usr/share/keymaps to choose from.

> > KEYMAP="uk"
> > #########################################################################

> > This is aggravatingly vague.  I cannot find anything to tell me _HOW_ to
> > "Use KEYMAP to specify ...".  Somehow, my current setting of "uk" seems
> > to find and load an appropriate keymap, perhaps
> > /usr/share/keymaps/i386/qwerty/uk.map.gz.

> KEYMAP is just a env var which holds the arguments for loadkeys. And for 
> sure it finds this keymap. And this is by far not vague. See below.

> > So the question is how do I get the system to load up my own special
> > keymap, currently called boottime.keymap.gz on my Debian system?
> > Where must I write this file so that it gets loaded?  Where do I find
> > the documentation telling where to write this file?

> > I've delved into /etc/init.d/keymaps (a "runscript" shell), but it
> > appears merely to use ${KEYMAP}.  I cannot see how this script manages to
> > find a filename out of "uk".  Presumably the interpreter /sbin/runscript
> > runs the find command, somehow.  But I can't find any documentation for
> > runscript.

> Keymaps are loaded with loadkeys. man loadkeys gives the glory details.
> (there is also a hint how to set this as kernel keymap ;-))

Ah, loadkeys, my old friend!  I confess I'd not looked at man loadkeys
for around 5 years.  It's changed.

> It searches in /usr/share/keymaps for the string.

Ah!  I've not seen this in *nix before, giving a filename fragment and
having the system DWIM.  I'm not sure I like it.

> As you may have noticed all keymaps differ before the .map.gz. So it
> should go smoothly, if you put your keymap in any folder, an appropiate
> for sanity, and rename it to something unique, a la
> my-own-nifty.map.gz. 

> Test it with 
> # loadkeys my-own-nifty 

Yes, it works.  I should have just tried it.  

> > How do I set my keyboard layout?

> loadkeys

Thanks!  It now works.

> Sebastian

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).
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