From ic.ac.uk!a.triulzi Thu Dec 5 14:18:17 1996 Return-Path: Received: from pixar.com by golem.pixar.com with smtp (Smail3.1.29.1 #2) id m0vVm7U-00HxbQC; Thu, 5 Dec 96 14:18 PST Received: from romeo.ic.ac.uk by pixar.com with SMTP id AA03010 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for bruce@golem.pixar.com); Thu, 5 Dec 1996 14:18:14 -0800 Received: from judy.ic.ac.uk [155.198.5.5] by romeo.ic.ac.uk with esmtp (Exim 0.57 #1) id 0vVm4A-00021u-00; Thu, 5 Dec 1996 22:14:50 +0000 Received: from tera.ma.ic.ac.uk (tera-gw.ma.ic.ac.uk [155.198.192.34]) by judy.ic.ac.uk (8.7.5/8.7.5) with SMTP id WAA02771; Thu, 5 Dec 1996 22:14:25 GMT Received: by tera.ma.ic.ac.uk; id AA32332; Thu, 5 Dec 1996 22:14:24 GMT Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 22:14:24 GMT Message-Id: <9612052214.AA32332@tera.ma.ic.ac.uk> To: Debian-Users Cc: Bruce Perens Subject: XFree 3.2 International Users HOWTO From: Arrigo Triulzi Reply-To: a.triulzi@ic.ac.uk Organisation: Imperial College Mathematics Department X-Url: http://www.ma.ic.ac.uk/~agbt Status: RO Hello all, this message is intended for those of us out there who _don't_ have a US keyboard and are installing XFree 3.2. If you have a US keyboard ignore all that follows. To begin with I assume you have a relatively up-to-date Debian tree, i.e. all X stuff is version 3.2-1 or better. What you will want to do, immediately, is to make a safe copy of your XFree 3.1.2 configuration, to do this simply do cp /etc/X11/XF86Config /somewhere/safe/XF86Config Then install the XFree 3.2 packages _including_ the xext package which contians the dreaded XKBD extension which we will need. Now, you will notice that the installation will not ask you any questions as to converting your 3.1.2 config file to 3.2. This is the catch: let us assume that you have a password with the '@'. Then in the UK, for example, the '@' character sits where in the US they have the '"' character and vice-versa. Let us assume that you run xdm. Then although you were used to X getting your keyboard right it will get it terribly wrong and you will not be able to log in - unless you know where all the characters sit on a US keyboard. How do you fix this? Simply run xf86config, install the keyboard that you need and then, once it is done, edit the config file: /etc/X11/XF86Config (as usual). There are a few changes, for example new video cards, so it might be a good idea to install a new config file from scratch. But, if like myself you have a 1152x900 100dpi mode you are particularly fond of you can recycle the old 3.1.2 XF86Config from the "Monitors" section onwards without any changes. Save this new config file and restart xdm. You will get back your proper keyboard mappings and be able to log in. Hope this helps someone else, Arrigo -- Arrigo Triulzi , http://www.ma.ic.ac.uk/~agbt Mathematics Dept. Imperial College of Science & Technology - London - UK