[Goodies-dev] Set keyboard layout at startup: enhance xfce4-xkb-plugin or a new application?

[Christian Dywan]

Am Sat, 29 Sep 2007 22:02:10 +0300
schrieb Stavros Giannouris <stavrosg at hellug.gr>:

> Hello.
> 
> I have been thinking for a while to add an easy (read: graphically
> configured, no root required) way for the user set or change the
> keyboard layout settings of his/her account.
> 
> The xorg.conf way OK I guess, but it may scare some potential users
> off, and with Xorg 7.3 released, which can supposedly run without the
> need of xorg.conf at all, it is a pity to instruct people to create
> it just to set their prefered keyboard layout.
> 
> The application I have in mind is simple:
> Every time it is started, read the settings from a configuration file
> and set the configured layout by using either libxklavier or calling
> the setxkbmap command. (no GUI presented)
> Start with a designated switch, and a configuration dialog pops up.
> Or maybe the other way around.
> 
> Then again, this functionality can be included in xfce4-xkb-plugin,
> which most people using many layouts should have installed anyway.
> 
> Opinions?
> 
> Note that I am only a bit familiar with Python, but if any amount of
> code in C is included, it may be a perfect chance for me to start
> learning it.
> 
> Regards,

Hey Stavros,

there is already XfKC [1] which does pretty much what you are
describing. The biggest problem is that virtually nobody knows it
because it is not mentioned anywhere. I do in fact not know if there is
any active development going on about it. You could do a good job by
checking how good it really is and promoting it.

Yours,
    Christian

[1] http://gauvain.tuxfamily.org/code/xfkc.html