Peter's Blog

I figured out how to fix my numeric keypad in Ubuntu Intrepid. The problem is that I like to use key combinations like shift-ins for paste, shift-end for select to end of line and stuff like that, using the numeric keypad. I've been using these keypresses for about 20 years and don't want to change because of half-implemented new technology.

Before Intrepid the following xorg.conf confabulations did what I desired:

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier     "Generic Keyboard"
    Driver         "kbd"
    Option         "XkbRules" "xorg"
    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
    Option         "XkbLayout" "gb"
    Option         "XkbOptions" "numpad:microsoft"
EndSection

The intrepid update manager had the temerity to comment all the above out with the following line:

# commented out by update-manager, HAL is now used

and the keyboard operation was back in naff mode.

A few hours research revealed that HAL is a wonderful new hardware abstraction layer which will be just great when it is finished but for now it is missing fat chunks of functionality and documentation.

I tried messing around with .fdi files to disable the hal interference (copy /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-keymap.fdi to /etc/hal/fdi/policy) which broke the keyboard completely.

Finally I found the solution here and it is to stop hal messing around with input devices completely and let good old mature X deal with it. The following goes in x.org and the lines above are uncommented and returned to their former glory:

Section "ServerFlags"
  # pcw : hal wasn't named after a crazy computer by coincidence
  Option         "AutoAddDevices" "false"
EndSection

(by glory I don't mean the unfortunate necessity of the m word).

I found a reference to input.x11_driver fdi incantations to set up the numpad mode but they didn't work.

In case anyone is wondering about the title of this posting, a V sign is a traditional English gesture of disdain and ctrl-V is the paste command I would have to use if shift-ins wasn't easier, one's hand already floating on the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.