Ubuntu/Linux (other OSes) obsessed with USA keyboard???

browny_amiga · 12-21-2010, 11:27 AM

Hi

At this point, it has become of something of a joke, being the source of a good chortle every time I see it:
my desktop switching back to the USA keyboard layout. I usually set it to the Swiss or German layout, even go to the point of erasing the USA layout, but it is always back. This would not be so funny if it would not have happened so consistently and over and over the last 10 years. I remember that some Windows version don't even allow you to erase the USA layout, even though it is not needed anymore.

Now in my latest case, I got a Ubuntu 10.04, where in Gnome I set the Swiss layout as standard, and when I restart the system, the USA one is set again.
I then go and erase it, with the result that Gnome will add it back on unasked.

What is going on here? How can I make sure that my prefered layout stays set?

Cheers

Markus

Snark1994 · 12-22-2010, 05:42 AM

Well, I use the UK layout, and haven't had a problem...

System > Preferences > Keyboard, click 'Add...' and find the standard UK one, then remove all the others. That works on my PC. If it doesn't keep switching back from THAT configuration, then you can change it to the Swiss one. If it then starts switching back to US again then I will just have to laugh along with you...

browny_amiga · 12-28-2010, 12:14 PM

It is the most annoying thing if a computer, a tool that should serve you, over which you should have absolute control just does things that you don't want it to do and you have no control:

At every reboot (even logging out and in), my Ubuntu 10.04 Gnome desktop adds the USA keyboard, and switches it as default. I go in, erase the layout and then only have the CH one active (Switzerland) and next login, the USA keyboard is again active. Immensely annoying. If this were Windows, I would understand. Windows is so endlessly annoying in that it does not respect your settings. You do a system update and soon your screensaver will be switched to the ridiculous low 5 minutes or some other setting has just been wiped. But in Linux?
I changed to Linux just for that reason. To have ultimate control.

So if anybody has an idea how I can ERASE the USA keyboard layout from this system, meaning, DEINSTALL IT, I would love to hear it. It seems a nice powerstruggle here, and the machine seems to think it will win *grin* and I love to solve a puzzle like that.

I don't know if you ever had that problem: failing component.
So you try to fix it. Does not work. You disable the component. Still starts and breaks.
So finally you decide to remove it all together so it cannot start and break anymore.

Anybody has an idea how to disable/remove/rename the USA keyboard so the system cannot get to it anymore?

*gritting teeth and arm wrestling with Gnome*

Cheers

Markus

retrodanny · 12-28-2010, 12:58 PM

Hi Markus,

I have found a way to switch between keyboard layouts by pressing Shift + Alt:

Edit your .bashrc (in home directory) and add the following at the end

Code:

# enable keyboard layout switching with Shift + Alt
setxkbmap -option grp:switch,grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll ch,us

next time you reboot you should be on the 'ch' layout, and if you ever want the us layout, you can press Shift + Alt to switch back and forth.

I have a US keyboard but have to type Spanish text everyday, so mine ends in '...scroll us,es'

I hope this is helpful to you!

retrodanny · 12-29-2010, 12:55 AM

mm.. actually if you don't want to switch around, just add:

Quote:

setxkbmap -layout ch

to your .bashrc. That will set your keyboard layout to Switzerland every time.

browny_amiga · 01-18-2011, 05:37 PM

Well, after the thing is annoying me on and on, I don't think I can live with anything less than removing that damn layout. EVERYTIME I reboot, the dumb USA keyboard is greeting me. After switching it, another program still has it as a default, so I have to switch it again, and again, and AGAIN!

Things that you need to do over and over mindlessly drive me nuts. You get rid of them or automate them.
In this case I want to remove it, there is no reason why the USA keyboard should still be default, in the 21st century it should be far away from the time back maybe in the 80'ies where there was the one true keyboard layout, which the system was built on and then you had other layouts, that were added on later (and you could always tell, because you had to install them and they were never on even footing)
Now in the last 20 years, I learned to type in the USA layout, due to the fact above, always ending up with it one way or another.
But now things are different and it is kind of impossible to type proper german with that layout (no ö ü ä-s)
So now it is a wonderful challenge and I get more annoyed everytime I am forced to restart the system.

Time to go hunt for the package that owns this darn layout and remove it.

Cheers

Markus

P.S. you might be able to relate to my pain if you imagine you wanting the USA keyboard and the system trying to force feed you one that you would never dream of using, like the swedish one or the one from Danmark or a Norwegian. Or how about the Tibetian? And you cannot remove it, every restart the darn thing is there again, irking you.

browny_amiga · 03-17-2011, 11:49 AM

No more annoyance finally: The problem does not occur with KDE (Kubuntu) under Ubuntu 10.04 and so I am using KDE now.
Not just for that reason, but nice that an endlessly annoying problem went away.