Ubuntu
xkeyboard-config package

UK Colemak Layout has bottom row offset

Bug #542237 reported by Ben Webb
12
This bug affects 2 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
xkeyboard-config
Fix Released
Medium
xkeyboard-config (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Low
Bryce Harrington
Ubuntu ubuntu-10.04
Lucid
Fix Released
Low
Bryce Harrington
Ubuntu ubuntu-10.04

Bug Description

Binary package hint: xkeyboard-config

In lucid, the United Kingdom - Colemak keyboard layout has the bottom row shifted one place to the left from what it should be. (The layout was as expected in karmic and earlier.) Strangely, this seems to have taken several extra lines to do, compared to just using the (correct) usa colemak defaults. The file responsible is: /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/gb
The attached patch gives me the behaviour I would expect.

See original description
Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

I can understand why you're fixing Colemak. But why are you dropping "extd" at the same time?

Revision history for this message
In , Freedesktop-azelphur (freedesktop-azelphur) wrote :

I didn't know i was, maybe ubuntu strips that layout (I grabbed the file from my ubuntu install)

Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

Anyway, the colemak part is applied. Thanks!

Revision history for this message
In , Ghen-telenet (ghen-telenet) wrote :

This is broken. GB Colemak's bottom row should be the same as US Colemak.
Please revert this change.

http://forum.colemak.com/viewtopic.php?pid=6175

Revision history for this message
In , Freedesktop-azelphur (freedesktop-azelphur) wrote :

It is the same as US colemak with this change. Colemak is an efficiency layout, sticking the backslash on the other side of the keyboard is completely wrong, incorrect to the layout, and incorrect to the entire point of colemak.

Before reverting this change, I suggest contacting the author of colemak and asking for his opinion on the subject.

Revision history for this message
In , Ghen-telenet (ghen-telenet) wrote :

Please note that the UK keyboard is an ISO 102/105-keys keyboard, not an ANSI 101/104-keys keyboard, thus with an additional key to the left of the letter Z. This key has backslash and pipe characters on a UK keyboard (but has other characters on other European keyboards).

The UK Colemak keyboard was correct before this change.

Revision history for this message
In , Freedesktop-azelphur (freedesktop-azelphur) wrote :

I've sent the following to shai (The author of colemak) through the forum
system

<quote>
I was wondering if we could have your opinion on
http://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=22735

As far as I'm aware, the layout should be like this
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3832397/ukcolemakcorrect.png

However ghen says it should be like this
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3832397/ukcolemakincorrect.png

Can you please advise as to which is the correct layout? thanks.
</quote>

I'll post here when he replies.

Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

Lads, I would be happy to apply whatever solution you agree on. I just do not want to apply and revert patches endlessly. Once you're happy with the layout (both of you, of course!) - please attach the final patch and I will commit it.

Thanks for understanding

Revision history for this message
In , Freedesktop-azelphur (freedesktop-azelphur) wrote :

Received word back from Shai

<quote>
The one that keeps the ZXCV in their place in with regards to the
normal UK keyboard is the correct one, i.e. the bottom one.
</quote>

That means I'm wrong, Geert Hendrickx is correct. Please revert this change :)

Revision history for this message
In , Ghen-telenet (ghen-telenet) wrote :

Thanks for the confirmation. So the change can be reverted now.

You are of course free to continue to use your own variant of the layout. ;-) But what xkeyboard-data calls "colemak" should be the standard layout that people expect, otherwise it will only cause confusion and complaints, as we've seen.

Thanks--

Revision history for this message
In , Freedesktop-org-lyndley (freedesktop-org-lyndley) wrote :

Is it possible to get this reverted, the broken layout still seems to be in latest git.

Revision history for this message
Ben Webb (bjwebb67-googlemail) wrote :

Binary package hint: xkeyboard-config

The United Kingdom - Colemak keyboard layout has the bottom row shifted one place to the left from what it should be. Strangely, this seems to have taken several extra lines to do, compared to just using the (correct) usa colemak defaults. The file responsible is: /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/gb
The attached patch gives me the behaviour I would expect.

Revision history for this message
Ben Webb (bjwebb67-googlemail) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Ben Webb (bjwebb67-googlemail) wrote :

Okay, looking into it it seems that someone incorrectly thought this shifting to the left was the right way to do UK colemak, so a patch was added upstream. The issue seems to have been since re-discussed, and it looks like the change will be reverted. However, this may not be in time for lucid release, and it would be good to get this fixed, since it makes the system almost unusable for all UK colemak users.

Brian Murray (brian-murray)
tags: added: patch
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in xkeyboard-config:
status: Unknown → Confirmed
Emmet Hikory (persia)
Changed in xkeyboard-config (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Low
status: New → Triaged
tags: added: patch-forwarded-upstream
Nigel Babu (nigelbabu)
tags: removed: patch
Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

Is everyone happy to revert that change?

Ben Webb (bjwebb67-googlemail)
tags: added: regression-potential
description: updated
Revision history for this message
In , Ghen-telenet (ghen-telenet) wrote :

(In reply to comment #12)
> Is everyone happy to revert that change?
>

I've seen 3 votes in favour and 0 against...

Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

Should I revert the entire patch? What about extd variant?

Revision history for this message
In , Ghen-telenet (ghen-telenet) wrote :

Created an attachment (id=34541)
restore uk colemak variant

(In reply to comment #14)
> Should I revert the entire patch? What about extd variant?

That part was submitted by accident and has not been committed. It's only the gb colemak variant part.

I have attached the correct reverse diff.

Revision history for this message
Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote :

Thanks, since there is discussion going on upstream, I'd prefer waiting and seeing what actually goes in upstream. Meanwhile I'll leave the bug assigned to me so it'll get in for lucid.

Changed in xkeyboard-config (Ubuntu Lucid):
milestone: none → ubuntu-10.04-beta-2
assignee: nobody → Bryce Harrington (bryceharrington)
assignee: Bryce Harrington (bryceharrington) → nobody
milestone: ubuntu-10.04-beta-2 → none
assignee: nobody → Bryce Harrington (bryceharrington)
milestone: none → ubuntu-10.04
Bryce Harrington (bryce)
tags: added: lucid
Revision history for this message
In , Sergey V. Udaltsov (svu) wrote :

Thanks, committed the reverted patch

Revision history for this message
Ben Webb (bjwebb67-googlemail) wrote :

This bug has now been fixed upstream. Is it ready to be pulled into ubuntu?

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in xkeyboard-config:
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package xkeyboard-config - 1.8-1ubuntu5

---------------
xkeyboard-config (1.8-1ubuntu5) lucid; urgency=low

  * Add 127_restore_gb_colemak.patch: Fixes bottom row offset on the
    Colemak UK keyboard. Cherrypick from upstream to revert an earlier
    patch. Thanks for chasing the patch down, Ben.
    (LP: #542237)
 -- Bryce Harrington <email address hidden> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:14:35 -0700

Changed in xkeyboard-config (Ubuntu Lucid):
status: Triaged → Fix Released
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in xkeyboard-config:
importance: Unknown → Medium
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in xkeyboard-config:
importance: Medium → Unknown
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in xkeyboard-config:
importance: Unknown → Medium
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