Keyboard Debate

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Short answer (theoretical): wait until the ''illume-config-illume'' package arrives in the repository, then install it with ''opkg''.
 
Short answer (theoretical): wait until the ''illume-config-illume'' package arrives in the repository, then install it with ''opkg''.
 +
 +
Update: It is available in the testing feeds, but it does not give you the keyboard.
  
 
=== How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ? ===
 
=== How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ? ===

Revision as of 22:45, 29 August 2008

NOTE: This is an emotionally laden topic. Please stick to facts and Neutral Point of View.


NOTE: This is work in progress. Please help by linking to appropriate messages and wiki pages.


Contents

Summary of the problem

Om 2008.8 uses Qtopia for its phone stack. Qtopia has a build-in keyboard primarily designed to compose SMS in English. This keyboard is very impractical to use with a terminal or enter an URL.

More details..., list of all keyboard bugs in the defect tracking system.

List of available keyboards

Qtopia keyboard

The Qtopia keyboard build-in Om 2008.8. See also the [documentation at Trolltech]

ASU Keyboard
ASU Keyboard with hello
ASU Keyboard with numeric keys

Matchbox keyboard

The matchbox keyboard.
Screenshot of the keyboard applet on 2007.2

Illume keyboard

The illume virtual keyboard a.k.a. Raster's keyboard.

Probably looking like this or like that.

See also Illume#Virtual_Keyboard (which would need to be completed ;)

Vkbd system

The vkbd system.

List of keyboard-related Howtos

How to use the Qtopia keyboard shipped with Om 2008.8 ?

Summary:

  • Slide finger left = backspace.
  • Slide finger right = space.
  • Slide finger up/down = changes between lowercase/uppercase/numbers/special characters.
  • The 'Enter' key is bottom right on the special characters page
  • Hovering over a letter for more than 2 seconds activates zoom mode, allowing you to type specific letters without prediction.

Detailed version: see How to use the Qtopia keyboard.

How to have a toggle button to make the keyboard appear/disappear ?

Short answer: opkg install illume-config. Long answer: here.

How to install the matchbox keyboard ?

Short answer: opkg install matchbox-keyboard-applet matchbox-keyboard-inputmethod Long answer: here.

How to install the illume (Raster's) keyboard ?

Short answer (theoretical): wait until the illume-config-illume package arrives in the repository, then install it with opkg.

Update: It is available in the testing feeds, but it does not give you the keyboard.

How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ?

Short answer: Add the line export QTOPIA_NO_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD=1 into the file /etc/X11/Xsession.d/89qtopia.

Warning: Even when you install another keyboard, if you do not turn off the Qtopia keyboard it will come back on the top to bite you trollishly. References: Comment on ticket 1864, and untested proposed patch to qpe.

How to change the keyboards layout ?

TBD

How to change the dictionary used by the predictive keyboards ?

The dictionary for the "standard" (qtopia) predictive keyboard is stored in /opt/Qtopia/etc/dict/<LANG>/words.dawg. To change it, compile with dawgen an ispell dictionary (list of words) and replace the en-US words file. You can find an x86 binary dawgen executable here.

For illume: TBD

Matchbox has no predictive mode (to be confirmed ?).

How to toggle the predictive mode on and off ?

TBD

How to make Qtopia keyboards and illume/raster keyboard coexist ?

TBD

Your short-term options

Even if things might look bad, you shouldn't assume that they are
  • Turn off the Qtopia keyboard and install the matchbox one instead.
  • Keep the Qtopia keyboard, let go (for a while) the desire to use the terminal locally, login remotely via ssh when you need.
  • Get an external keyboard, USB or Bluetooth, light and foldable if you want.
  • Switch to 2007.2 (but then similar issues arise : Switching Keyboards on Om 2007.2), FSO or Debian.
  • Patch Qtopia so that it plays nice with other keyboards, send upstream, meanwhile recompile and provide a package.

PS: Complaining that management does not listen to the users needs is not a productive option.

Perspectives for long-term resolution

On August 27th 2008, Marek from Openmoko inc. announced the intention to focus on the low-level layers. Future "base system" distribution may not include any phone stack at all.

Personal tools
NOTE: This is an emotionally laden topic. Please stick to facts and Neutral Point of View.


NOTE: This is work in progress. Please help by linking to appropriate messages and wiki pages.


Summary of the problem

Om 2008.8 uses Qtopia for its phone stack. Qtopia has a build-in keyboard primarily designed to compose SMS in English. This keyboard is very impractical to use with a terminal or enter an URL.

More details..., list of all keyboard bugs in the defect tracking system.

List of available keyboards

Qtopia keyboard

The Qtopia keyboard build-in Om 2008.8. See also the [documentation at Trolltech]

ASU Keyboard
ASU Keyboard with hello
ASU Keyboard with numeric keys

Matchbox keyboard

The matchbox keyboard.
Screenshot of the keyboard applet on 2007.2

Illume keyboard

The illume virtual keyboard a.k.a. Raster's keyboard.

Probably looking like this or like that.

See also Illume#Virtual_Keyboard (which would need to be completed ;)

Vkbd system

The vkbd system.

List of keyboard-related Howtos

How to use the Qtopia keyboard shipped with Om 2008.8 ?

Summary:

  • Slide finger left = backspace.
  • Slide finger right = space.
  • Slide finger up/down = changes between lowercase/uppercase/numbers/special characters.
  • The 'Enter' key is bottom right on the special characters page
  • Hovering over a letter for more than 2 seconds activates zoom mode, allowing you to type specific letters without prediction.

Detailed version: see How to use the Qtopia keyboard.

How to have a toggle button to make the keyboard appear/disappear ?

Short answer: opkg install illume-config. Long answer: here.

How to install the matchbox keyboard ?

Short answer: opkg install matchbox-keyboard-applet matchbox-keyboard-inputmethod Long answer: here.

How to install the illume (Raster's) keyboard ?

Short answer (theoretical): wait until the illume-config-illume package arrives in the repository, then install it with opkg.

Update: It is available in the testing feeds, but it does not give you the keyboard.

How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ?

Short answer: Add the line export QTOPIA_NO_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD=1 into the file /etc/X11/Xsession.d/89qtopia.

Warning: Even when you install another keyboard, if you do not turn off the Qtopia keyboard it will come back on the top to bite you trollishly. References: Comment on ticket 1864, and untested proposed patch to qpe.

How to change the keyboards layout ?

TBD

How to change the dictionary used by the predictive keyboards ?

The dictionary for the "standard" (qtopia) predictive keyboard is stored in /opt/Qtopia/etc/dict/<LANG>/words.dawg. To change it, compile with dawgen an ispell dictionary (list of words) and replace the en-US words file. You can find an x86 binary dawgen executable here.

For illume: TBD

Matchbox has no predictive mode (to be confirmed ?).

How to toggle the predictive mode on and off ?

TBD

How to make Qtopia keyboards and illume/raster keyboard coexist ?

TBD

Your short-term options

Even if things might look bad, you shouldn't assume that they are
  • Turn off the Qtopia keyboard and install the matchbox one instead.
  • Keep the Qtopia keyboard, let go (for a while) the desire to use the terminal locally, login remotely via ssh when you need.
  • Get an external keyboard, USB or Bluetooth, light and foldable if you want.
  • Switch to 2007.2 (but then similar issues arise : Switching Keyboards on Om 2007.2), FSO or Debian.
  • Patch Qtopia so that it plays nice with other keyboards, send upstream, meanwhile recompile and provide a package.

PS: Complaining that management does not listen to the users needs is not a productive option.

Perspectives for long-term resolution

On August 27th 2008, Marek from Openmoko inc. announced the intention to focus on the low-level layers. Future "base system" distribution may not include any phone stack at all.