[Sugar-devel] seeking help to enable nepali keyboard input for XO-4

[James Cameron]

On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 01:54:19PM +0545, Basanta Shrestha wrote:
> Hi all,
> We are planning on ordering the next lot of XO-4s and I need some
> suggestions on which keyboard model to choose -membrane  or
> hard/clicky one.

I think it is great to seek input from the community, but don't forget
to ask your OLPC contact for help as well.

> We had membrane one for our first lot and keyboard switching was
> very convenient on that model.  One reason not to choose hard/clicky
> one is that it doesn't have key for language switching ( correct me
> if I am wrong) -I have one spanish hard/clicky and it doesn't have
> that key - key 56 at
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts.

Yes, that's a good reason not to choose the mechanical keyboard; you
would have to customise your operating system build again, to add a
key combination for keyboard language switch.  If the cost of
customising is too high, you should order membrane keyboard.  I don't
know the relative costs of the keyboards, and their replacement rates,
but it might be factored in to your decision.

You identified the lack of language switch key in this same thread on
sugar-devel@ back in November 2013, from which I'll draw some status:

Walter says use a key combination:
http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045724.html

And says that customisation will be needed:
http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045800.html

Then you suggest alt+space:
http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045807.html

Daniel Drake says to use olpc-os-builder:
http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045851.html

And you asked about the alt+space:
http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2013-November/045857.html

But the thread dried up on that subject because the units you received
had a membrane keyboard, not a mechanical keyboard.

I think you need to change the xkb files, but I'm not sure.  Do you
have a mechanical keyboard you can test with?  If not, you'll have to
get someone else to do this.

> Hard/Clicky on the other hard is more convenient while typing.
> Please suggest.

I don't understand why you think it is more convenient.  To me the
keyboards are equally convenient for an inexperienced child.  Perhaps
you intended to mention some characteristic?

-- 
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/