Dear All,
Kudos for all those who have put their best in developing world class linux applications.
I use Linux Opensuse, Mandriva, Fedora and Ubuntu. Here is my question to all of my linux friends
Since every keyboard available does have a Windows Start key and a popup key. These keys are not functional in any of the linux versions / distros. Why these two keys are abandoned in linux ?
My keyboard has no Windows Start nor Pop Up keys.
You can map those, if you’re using KDE, in Personal Settings / Keyboard & Mouse / Standard Keyboard Shortcuts or Global Keyboard Shortcuts to whatever function you wish them to be associated with.
By pop-up do you mean menu? I’ve had no problems with it - perhaps there is a keyboard layout variation in which it works?
Windows key (also known as ‘super’, or sometimes ‘meta’) works fine for my compiz shortcuts.
Simplest way to find out whether a key is registering anything is to run ‘xev’ in a terminal. Press the key in question - if it shows up anything, you know the driver’s registering it. Then maybe try to assign it to a keyboard shortcut…
[Also - welcome to the forum!]
On Tue, 2009-11-17 at 16:26 +0000, suresh palloor wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> Kudos for all those who have put their best in developing world class
> linux applications.
>
> I use Linux Opensuse, Mandriva, Fedora and Ubuntu. Here is my question
> to all of my linux friends
>
> Since every keyboard available does have a Windows Start key and a
> popup key. These keys are not functional in any of the linux versions /
> distros. Why these two keys are abandoned in linux ?
>
>
Well… you’re wrong about “every keyboard” having the keys. However,
I will say that 99.999% of all fairly contemporary machines have them,
IF those machines came with Windows.
With that said, I know pretty much every compiz setup uses them for
various things. Some of the things are actually quite useful. But it
can vary depending on the config… you’re in control of how the keys
are mapped after all.
Dear Sir,
I am using Suse 11.2 i map the key it requires one more key for setting it up, for example <Win>+A. but my question is how come i can activate the Suse Application Launcher when i press Win/Meta/Super key ?
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Mine (SLED 11 x86_64, based on OpenSUSE 11.1 x86_64) automatically pulls
up my Computer menu when I hit it.
Good luck.
cjcox wrote:
> On Tue, 2009-11-17 at 16:26 +0000, suresh palloor wrote:
>> Dear All,
>>
>> Kudos for all those who have put their best in developing world class
>> linux applications.
>>
>> I use Linux Opensuse, Mandriva, Fedora and Ubuntu. Here is my question
>> to all of my linux friends
>>
>> Since every keyboard available does have a Windows Start key and a
>> popup key. These keys are not functional in any of the linux versions /
>> distros. Why these two keys are abandoned in linux ?
>>
>>
>
> Well… you’re wrong about “every keyboard” having the keys. However,
> I will say that 99.999% of all fairly contemporary machines have them,
> IF those machines came with Windows.
>
> With that said, I know pretty much every compiz setup uses them for
> various things. Some of the things are actually quite useful. But it
> can vary depending on the config… you’re in control of how the keys
> are mapped after all.
>
>
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I accept my mystake. It was a statement in generic sense. Sorry.
Are you using KDE, gnome, or something else?
What you’re probably looking for is the keyboard preferences thing.
In Debian Gnome, for example, there’s a Preferences -> Keyboards -> Layouts -> Layout Options -> Alt/Win Key Behaviour.
There’s something very similar in KDE - I imagine it’s in ‘configure desktop’ somewhere. [Edit - though I see Chrysantine may well have already given you the KDE solution]
> My keyboard has no Windows Start nor Pop Up keys.
I wouldn’t expect them on a Mac. <g>
i am using kde 4.3 came with Opensuse 11.2. I have searched all the options in the YAST configuration menu. nothing of that sort is available.
when the win key is pressed. nothing happens.
I am using Suse 11.2 i map the key it requires one more key for setting it up, for example <Win>+A. but my question is how come i can activate the Suse Application Launcher when i press Win/Meta/Super key ?
Last I remember, I mapped that windows key to do something useful in Linux. It is very easy in KDE4 to create short cuts with keys. Some example short cuts I have with my laptop
I think many new Linux users who rant that they hate the command line, and then rant that a Linux Desktop GUI (kde or gnome) requires too many mouse clicks, forget how easy it is to setup a powerful mapped sequence of keys to do something that might otherwise require a long menu after menu navigation.
Sorry… Don’t know what to suggest. :\
> i am using kde 4.3 came with Opensuse 11.2. I have searched all the
> options in the YAST configuration menu. nothing of that sort is
> available.
You are looking in the wrong place.
Use the ‘Personal Settings Configure Desktop’ program.
Should be under Applications in Kickoff or on the root menu
if you are using the Classic launcher.
Then look under ‘Computer Administration’ and then ‘Input Actions’
Not the easiest to use applet I think, but it does work.
You can map keycodes to keyfunctions with xmodmap, then define shortcuts in your favorite WM.
Some mappings I use under Linux and Unix. Don’t ask me why the keycodes are different on 11.1 and 11.2.
# ---------------- openSUSE 11.2 PC --------------------------
! Xmodmap: Some Settings for a Intel based PC and keyboard
!
! Backarrow key is symbol BackSpace
! Modifiers for backarrow key
! Shift-BS is Symbol BackSpace
! Alt-BS is Symbol DeleteWord
! Remove key is Symbol Delete
keycode 22 = BackSpace
keycode 119 = Delete
! remap Caps_Lock to Mode_switch
keycode 66 = Mode_switch
!! Right control key is Compose
keycode 105 = Multi_key
!! WIN95 keys: WIN left and WIN right
!! we overwrite Meta_L and Meta_R or Multi_key
!! to avoid confusion with older keyboards.
clear mod4
keycode 133 = Super_L
keycode 134 = Super_R
add mod4 = Super_L Super_R
!
!! and WIN menu
!
keycode 135 = Menu
!! Microsoftpro KB special keys
keycode 121 = XF86AudioMute
keycode 122 = XF86AudioLowerVolume
keycode 123 = XF86AudioRaiseVolume
keycode 148 = XF86Calculator
keycode 163 = XF86Mail
keycode 164 = XF86Favorites
keycode 165 = XF86MyComputer
keycode 166 = XF86Back
keycode 167 = XF86Forward
keycode 172 = XF86AudioPlay XF86AudioPause
keycode 180 = XF86HomePage
keycode 225 = XF86Search
keycode 234 = XF86AudioMedia
# ---------------- openSUSE 11.1 PC --------------------------
!! Xmodmap: Some Settings for a Intel based PC and keyboard
!!
!! Backarrow key is symbol BackSpace
!! Modifiers for backarrow key
!! Shift-BS is Symbol BackSpace
!! Alt-BS is Symbol DeleteWord
!! Remove key is Symbol Delete
keycode 22 = BackSpace
keycode 107 = Delete
!! remap Caps_Lock to Mode_switch
keycode 66 = Mode_switch
!! Right control key is Compose
keycode 109 = Multi_key
!! WIN95 keys: WIN left and WIN right
!! we overwrite Meta_L and Meta_R or Multi_key
!! to avoid confusion with older keyboards.
clear mod4
keycode 115 = Super_L
keycode 116 = Super_R
add mod4 = Super_L Super_R
!! and WIN menu
keycode 117 = Menu
!! Microsoftpro KB special keys (already defined)
keycode 160 = XF86AudioMute
keycode 161 = XF86Calculator
keycode 162 = XF86AudioPlay XF86AudioPause
keycode 174 = XF86AudioLowerVolume
keycode 176 = XF86AudioRaiseVolume
keycode 178 = XF86HomePage
keycode 229 = XF86Search
keycode 230 = XF86Favorites
keycode 233 = XF86Forward
keycode 234 = XF86Back
keycode 235 = XF86MyComputer
keycode 236 = XF86Mail
keycode 237 = XF86AudioMedia
# ---------------- openSUSE 11.1 iMac ------------------------
!! Xmodmap: Some Settings for an Applekeyboard
!!
!! Backarrow key is symbol BackSpace
!! Modifiers for backarrow key
!! Shift-BS is Symbol BackSpace
!! Alt-BS is Symbol DeleteWord
!! Remove key is Symbol Delete
keycode 22 = BackSpace
keycode 107 = Delete
!! remap Caps_Lock to Mode_switch
keycode 66 = Mode_switch
!! Right control key is Compose
keycode 109 = Multi_key
!! remapping for macintosh keyboards
! Swap Alt and Cmd keys.
clear Shift
clear Control
clear Mod1
clear Mod2
clear Mod3
clear Mod4
clear Mod5
keycode 37 = Control_L
keycode 115 = Alt_L Meta_L
keycode 64 = Super_L
keycode 113 = Menu
keycode 116 = ISO_Level3_Shift Multi_key
keycode 109 = Control_R Multi_key
add Shift = Shift_L Shift_R
add Control = Control_L Control_R
add Mod1 = Alt_L 0x007D
add Mod2 = Num_Lock
add Mod4 = Super_L
add Mod5 = ISO_Level3_Shift ISO_Level3_Shift ISO_Level3_Shift
!
! Configure '=' key on numpad as '='.
keycode 157 = equal
! Configure F13 as Insert key, F14 as PrintScr, F15 as ScrollLock
! and F16 as Pause/Break.
keycode 182 = Insert
keycode 183 = Print Sys_Req
keycode 184 = Scroll_Lock
keycode 93 = Pause Break
! Configure F17 as XF86Mail, F18 as xf86Homepage
! and F19 as XF86Calculator
keycode 131 = XF86Mail
keycode 247 = XF86HomePage
keycode 132 = XF86Calculator
keycode 204 = XF86Eject
Its very easy in KDE-4.3.1 to map keys to a function. …
Its under Kmenu > Configure desktop > General > Computer Administration > Input Actions … and I dare say the rest is intuitively obvious.
It’s a different thing. In KDE (or other WM), you’re assigning actions to keystrokes. Those keys have to be available to the X server first: Xorg has to know which keycode corresponds to which function (not action). Whether special keys - like the ones you can find on modern Windows keyboards - are already (correctly) mapped or not depends on the Xorg version, the Linux distro and the type of keyboard you’re using.
I am not sure why you quote my post and say “it is a different thing”. … lets get back to the question. The original posters question was asking if the key had been abandoned in Linux. It has NOT been abandoned and I explained how to map it. I definitely do not understand where your post is coming from, with comments and about xserver and such. Lets answer the basic question.
And the answer is it has NOT been abandoned.
and as proof, read my post as the "Windows Start key " is mapped and as I described it can be defined to do something. For example I can set up the “Windows Start Key” and “R” to start recording video from my web cam as I described. It looks like “meta + R” in the KDE section I referred to.
Because when you’re assigning input actions to keystrokes in KDE, you’re not mapping keys to functions (reread your post). You’re just making use of keyfunctions which have been previously made available to the X server … that obscure thing which allows your KDE desktop to work. Sometimes you might indeed have to map keycodes to keyfunctions before you can assign actions to keystrokes - Ok, not in openSUSE, where the Windows special keys are already mapped for most keyboard models, but I gave a basic answer to a generic question (“These keys are not functional in any of the linux versions / distros”) adressed to “All Linux Community People”, which certainly include KDE power users, but not only. BTW he could have said to “All Xorg Community People”, because it’s not even Linux specific.