Linux purpose-designed keyboard
 

Hi

I currently use a dual-boot machine with Windows and Linux, but rarely boot into Windows, and am thinking of getting rid of Windows, to make more room for my Linux stuff.

As I mainly use Linux on my machine, I was wondering where I could obtain a purpose-designed Linux keyboard. I don't need anything fancy, just a standard model, but with all the appropriate Linux modifier keys, and no Windows logo keys.

I don't think they make one, but you can use the win-keys and context-menu keys in linux. Win-keys are usually mod-4 and I don't remember right off hand what the context-menu key is... i never used it even in windows. You can bind functions or whatever to them in your favorite window manager. :)

How do you bind the keys? I am using RH9 and would like to learn how to make the "windows logo key" pop up my home folder when pressed. Any help you can give would be appreciated.

If you're running GNOME then you can get ACME to bind keys to different things such as opening your home folder, controlling music, and stuff of that nature.

If you use KDE, the control panel has keyboard options, one of which is binding keys. If you use fluxbox or some other window manager, see their respective documentation for how to bind keys.

I've always thought it'd be nice to have a programmer-specific keyboard that has all the obscure programming characters in a more easily-accessible spot. Things like the pipe, plus sign, tilde, and just about anything on the numeric keys.

But of course, it'd be pretty hard to adjust to. I bought a keyboard once, and immediately returned it because the pipe/backslash key was in the wrong place. And I can't stand those ergonomic split-down-the-middle keyboards. Can't teach an old programmer new keyboards, I guess...

I know how to set up key mapping, but it would be so much easier if the keys were printed correctly in the first place, so I didn't have to remember what is mapped to what. It's not like I'm asking for anything radical, just a plain keyboard designed for the operating system I use!

What do you get if you buy a preinstalled Linux PC? It would make an extremely unprofessional package if it came with a keyboard that features the logo of a rival operating system, and does not work properly with the software it comes with!

All I know is that with Acme, all of the multimedia keys on my Logitech keyboard can be mapped to what I need them for, and there's even a "My Home" button on it which fits Linux well. It would be cool to have a peguin where the windoze logo is, but I deal with that.

Pre-built sucks, no matter who you buy from. Bare bone is alright though. But anyway, you're not going to get a special keyboard just because you buy from a company. I'm sure that there's a place that sells keys with Tux on them to replace the super keys though.

How do I change or add buttons to that acme stuff?
Because I have dell multimedia keyboard and I would like to activate the back, forward, stop, refresh, and home for my browser (firefox)

Federico

For back, forward, stop, and the like, you're going to have to bind those on your own using the Firefox shortcuts to equate to the key press. However, ACME is for GNOME and you can either download it as an RPM or get the source. The source is on ftp.gnome.org, and the RPM can be found on an RPM search engine.

I have been trying to bind the back key to alt+left. That according to firefox is the shortcut for back, but I can not figure out how to do that from xmodmap.
Or in wich way do you recomend to do it? Because until now is not possible to modify the shortcuts in firefox, That is what they say.

Try using xev to see what the keys' output is, and then binding them from there.

Again me

I know the keycode for the back key is 234 and for the alt left key is 64 and for the left arrow is 100.

I have been trying with
xmodmap -e "keycode 234 = 64+100"
xmodmap -e "keycode 234 = Alt_L+Left"
and stuff like that, but I do not know how to bind one key (234) to the conjunction of two keys, (alt + left)

Thanks again
Federico

I'm not sure either, so all I can advise is reading the man pages.

verdeboy2k - did you try google... thought not ;-)

Here is a link to a LINUX Keyboard!
http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/c...ml?id=XRAWsGnj

Here is the article that lead me to it:
http://linuxpr.com/releases/377.html