Bug 22735 - Colemak (UK) Layout is incorrect for UK keyboards
Summary: Colemak (UK) Layout is incorrect for UK keyboards
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: xkeyboard-config
Classification: Unclassified
Component: General (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: Other All
: medium normal
Assignee: xkb
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: NEEDINFO
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2009-07-12 13:40 UTC by Alfie Day
Modified: 2011-05-01 08:14 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
i915 platform:
i915 features:


Attachments
how colemak should be (3.70 KB, patch)
2009-07-12 13:40 UTC, Alfie Day
Details | Splinter Review
restore uk colemak variant (1.37 KB, patch)
2010-03-29 23:59 UTC, Geert Hendrickx
Details | Splinter Review

Description Alfie Day 2009-07-12 13:40:24 UTC
Created attachment 27615 [details] [review]
how colemak should be

The bottom row is currently
\zxcvbkm,./

it should be
zxcvbkm,.\/

I've attatched a diff for /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/gb
Comment 1 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2009-07-14 14:03:55 UTC
I can understand why you're fixing Colemak. But why are you dropping "extd" at the same time?
Comment 2 Alfie Day 2009-07-15 05:38:16 UTC
I didn't know i was, maybe ubuntu strips that layout (I grabbed the file from my ubuntu install)
Comment 3 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2009-07-18 07:06:29 UTC
Anyway, the colemak part is applied. Thanks!
Comment 4 Geert Hendrickx 2010-02-10 04:59:51 UTC
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
Comment 5 Alfie Day 2010-02-10 07:23:49 UTC
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.
Comment 6 Geert Hendrickx 2010-02-10 07:40:24 UTC
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.
Comment 7 Alfie Day 2010-02-10 07:47:55 UTC
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.
Comment 8 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2010-02-10 13:10:44 UTC
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
Comment 9 Alfie Day 2010-02-10 17:43:33 UTC
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 :)
Comment 10 Geert Hendrickx 2010-02-11 04:39:09 UTC
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--
Comment 11 Nygel Lyndley 2010-03-18 16:44:23 UTC
Is it possible to get this reverted, the broken layout still seems to be in latest git.
Comment 12 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2010-03-26 04:46:24 UTC
Is everyone happy to revert that change?
Comment 13 Geert Hendrickx 2010-03-29 04:09:41 UTC
(In reply to comment #12)
> Is everyone happy to revert that change?
> 

I've seen 3 votes in favour and 0 against...
Comment 14 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2010-03-29 12:44:57 UTC
Should I revert the entire patch? What about extd variant?
Comment 15 Geert Hendrickx 2010-03-29 23:59:32 UTC
Created attachment 34541 [details] [review]
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.
Comment 16 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2010-03-30 14:18:24 UTC
Thanks, committed the reverted patch
Comment 17 Sergey V. Udaltsov 2011-05-01 08:14:12 UTC
Since I have here some people who use gb(colemak), I would like to ask their opinion on the statistical question. How many people are using that layout these days (just your estimations, with some references if possible)? I suspect it would be a good candidate for moving into "extras" section.

Thank you


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