how to enable the Fn key in an inspiron 1520 in hardy heron?
Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
how to enable the Fn key in an inspiron 1520 in hardy heron?
Hey guys:
I'm really new in linux, and i got my almost-all functional Hardy Heron installed. What i want to do, it's to enable the Fn key, bcs i really use it a lot. I googled it a lot, but i don't find anything useful. I don't know if i must install any additional driver, or simply configure something. Either way, any help would be very appreciated.
Distribution: Debian Gnu/Linux Lenny on AMD64x2 (32-bit mode), an AMD Sempron 64 laptop, debian, 32bit
Posts: 101
Rep:
My experience with laptops is that the Fn key is usually hardware only (e.g., no software), and doesn't send anything to the OS until you use it in combination with another key. Fn+F5 on my laptop, for example, toggles between the laptop LCD screen and an external monitor.
There may simply be no way to use the Fn key on its own in linux.
I am curious: you said you use the Fn key a lot. What do you usually use it for?
My experience with laptops is that the Fn key is usually hardware only (e.g., no software), and doesn't send anything to the OS until you use it in combination with another key. Fn+F5 on my laptop, for example, toggles between the laptop LCD screen and an external monitor.
There may simply be no way to use the Fn key on its own in linux.
I am curious: you said you use the Fn key a lot. What do you usually use it for?
I usually use it in combination with alt key to use the numpad, bcs of the ascii characters in programming or chatting with ppl. It's a pain in the ass to look for an ascii table and copy-paste every character needed...
Distribution: Debian Gnu/Linux Lenny on AMD64x2 (32-bit mode), an AMD Sempron 64 laptop, debian, 32bit
Posts: 101
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heru-kun
I usually use it in combination with alt key to use the numpad, bcs of the ascii characters in programming or chatting with ppl. It's a pain in the ass to look for an ascii table and copy-paste every character needed...
The Fn key itself is still hardware -- it just gets you the numpad. What you seem to be asking, then, is how to use the alt+### trick to type ASCII characters.
I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but if you're only using a few characters, and if you use KDE, you can add the Character Selector applet to the panel. Configuring it is easy: you just put whatever characters you want to be able to type in a textbox, and they each get placed in the clipboard with a single click (maybe speeds up the whole select, copy, paste routine a bit.)
I'm googling around a bit (you should as well ) to see if I can find something better.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.