Re: Detecting a keyboard

[Vojtech P. <vo...@su...>]

On Tue, Dec 10, 2002 at 06:59:37PM +0100, Arndt Schoenewald wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 09, 2002 at 11:30:39AM +0100, Vojtech Pavlik wrote:
> > 
> > > > We may need different keymaps on the different keyboards (indeed, this
> > > > might be essential ; one of the few reasons a normal user might have
> > > > multiple keyboards is to have different types)
> > > USB keyboards don't support variable mappings. 
> > 
> > It is planned to have per-keyboard keymaps (keycode->keysym), though no
> > scancode->keycode maps for USB.
> 
> Just curious: For what reasons do you plan to introduce per-keyboard
> keycode->keysym maps, but not scancode->keycode maps?

Scancode->keycode are already per-keyboard for AT keyboards and other
keyboards that need them. But for example on USB, there is no
scancode->keycode map, because all the information about the keyboard is
retrieved from the keyboard's USB descriptor.

> Is it because the keycode->keysym map is the more general case?

Basically yes.

The plan is to have every keyboard supply the same events to the input
subsystem. Then to map them using a keymap to what the user wants.

Basically, the scancode->keycode map should reflect the hardware layout of
the keyboard, and keycode->keysym the preferences of the user (language
layout, etc).

> Will these per-keyboard keymaps go into 2.6, or is this a feature to
> be implemented later?

Probably for later. Ask James, these are already beyond my realm of
input core. ;)

-- 
Vojtech Pavlik
SuSE Labs