Why is changing the keyboard layout so complicated in Windows compared to GNU + Linux and other normal OSes?
from dullbananas@lemmy.ca to linux@lemmy.ml on 29 Sep 2024 19:37
https://lemmy.ca/post/29982620

#linux

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GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml on 29 Sep 2024 19:46 next collapse

Because Windows sucks?

thermal_shock@lemmy.world on 29 Sep 2024 23:04 next collapse

damn, must have taken you a few nights to come up with this one

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 29 Sep 2024 23:10 collapse

This is a Linux community. Not sure what you imagine most people here think of windows…

thermal_shock@lemmy.world on 29 Sep 2024 23:29 next collapse

you are the reason people hate Linux users, you cant just let people do what they want, always has to be some competition and “windows sucks”.

just be normal, windows has its place whether it’s for you or not.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 2024 15:21 collapse

Yeah it has its place. Just not in a Linux community. Is that hard to understand?

[deleted] on 30 Sep 2024 16:25 collapse

.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 01 Oct 2024 09:31 collapse

??? You’re just baiting now lol

Giooschi@lemmy.world on 01 Oct 2024 12:08 collapse

If you think this is normal then imagine what other people think of the linux community though!

But here’s the issue: the parent comment didn’t even provide reasons why they think Windows sucks or examples/episodes where this was a problem for them. It adds nothing to the discussion, just free hate.

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 30 Sep 2024 05:50 collapse

No way!

sndmn@lemmy.ca on 29 Sep 2024 19:46 next collapse

Perhaps asking in a windows forum would be more appropriate.

Morphit@feddit.uk on 30 Sep 2024 01:11 collapse

Have you tried sfc /scannow?

mlg@lemmy.world on 01 Oct 2024 15:54 collapse

The one time this “worked” was when it broke because the drive had read errors lmao

sturlabragason@lemmy.world on 29 Sep 2024 19:46 next collapse

Why is insert any thing so complicated in Windows compared to GNU + Linux?

MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 29 Sep 2024 19:47 next collapse

It’s just WIN + Spacebar, or click the keyboard layout icon in the taskbar.

GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml on 29 Sep 2024 19:50 next collapse

Win + spacebar doesn’t work in some cases and if something is opened in fullscreen, closing it isn’t very convenient. The actual key binding that works is alt + shift I think.

MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub on 29 Sep 2024 22:37 collapse

Technically alt + shift changes between languages and ctrl + shift changes between layouts within the current language. Win + spacebar circles through all of them. So if you want to change from qwerty to dvorak I don’t think alt + shift will work, at least in windows 10.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 29 Sep 2024 23:04 collapse

I absolutely hate that there are 3 ways to change my keyboard layouts. I very often hit control shift and since it’s hidden that the layout was changed I wonder why the last sentence I wrote is gibberish…

dullbananas@lemmy.ca on 29 Sep 2024 20:21 collapse

I meant adding the layout

saigot@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 2024 21:34 collapse

Go to language and region > click 3 dots for your language > language options > add a keyboard > add Dvorak (or whatever). Then either remove the qwerty layout or do win+space to actually select the keyboard layout.

savvywolf@pawb.social on 29 Sep 2024 19:48 next collapse

“Wait, you all aren’t American?”

jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de on 29 Sep 2024 19:49 next collapse

I don’t know about these days, but I remember making a custom layout for Windows back in 2005 that was US Qwerty keyboard plus AltGR+auose for äüö߀ (German umlauts and euro symbol).

I forget how I did it, as I haven’t used Windows for serious work in years.

Skua@kbin.earth on 30 Sep 2024 00:03 collapse

Presumably you downloaded Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC), which I still had to do to make a custom keyboard layout in 2022. Funnily enough I was also wanting to use AltGr to add diacritics to vowels, because I don't want to have to go to the backtick key for àèìòù

boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net on 29 Sep 2024 19:57 next collapse

Because Linux is just a kernel.

It is pretty easy on KDE.

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 29 Sep 2024 22:55 collapse

Because Linux is just a kernel.

This is too short. Here is the long form: www.gnu.org/gnu/incorrect-quotation.en.html

I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net on 01 Oct 2024 05:17 collapse

Excuse me Mr Stallman

Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me on 29 Sep 2024 21:12 next collapse

They manage to make it so complicated it’s a whole thing to even just delete the default keyboard layout it thinks should be the default for your language too, if it stops adding it back at all.

I want “French (Canada)”, not " Canadian multilangual english CSA" or “Canadian multilangual french CSA”.

It’s not like any of them even matches the US keyboards we end up using anyway, everyone knows the labels on the keycaps never matches what key it actually prints. Just let me pick the god damn layout I want.

On Mac it’s even worse because you have to install it from some random dude’s GitHub, and because it’s a third-party layout, it straight up won’t let you delete the default one just in case, and I have to switch it back whenever it mysteriously decides to switch to the other one on its own for no reason.

On Linux: loadkeys cf and done.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 29 Sep 2024 23:06 next collapse

Personally on Mac I never had to change my layout again, and if I had to it’s just an icon to click and it stays that way. On windows however, like you said, it’s a nightmare

pedz@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 2024 10:11 next collapse

I face the same specific issue. I started with the French (Canada) layout years ago but now Windows sets the default to Multilingual/CSA because it has been made the official one by the government a number of years ago.

So now everyone that got used the “old” one has to fiddle with keyboard settings every time they use a new Windows session/computer.

And it’s not exactly a breeze to switch, as Windows often keeps the multilingual one and switches back to it when you use a different application. Gotta make sure to delete the multilingual and leave only one layout. It’s a real annoyance.

Frederic@beehaw.org on 30 Sep 2024 12:07 collapse

I’m with you on the french canadian keyboard, in a recent W11 laptop I got from work, it’s damn complicated to go in the settings, languages, etc and finally find the option to change keyboard layout! And sometimes if you have more than one kb, the system switch from one to another with some secret combo keys or damn god whatnot. I removed the US keyboard and just keep the FR_CA one.

thermal_shock@lemmy.world on 29 Sep 2024 23:03 next collapse

what? it LITERALLY asks if you want to add an additional keyboard when you set it up for the first time. and adding one afterwards isn’t hard.

circlejerk post.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 29 Sep 2024 23:08 next collapse

You can’t delete the default one it thinks you will use based on your locale, and it reverts to the default on boot. Also has the worst shortcut to silently change the layout (contol+shift)

Eufalconimorph@discuss.tchncs.de on 30 Sep 2024 12:58 next collapse

I’dv deleted the default, it’s never come back.

PushButton@lemmy.world on 30 Sep 2024 13:36 collapse

You have to change… 1- your default OS language (download all the language files, ZzZZz) 2- change the locale 3- apply the new locale to “all”, which is the login screen, current user, new created user.

Go in regional settings and adjust if needed, then reboot with a USB drive on a distro of your choice,

1- go through the installation 2- update if needed

Now you should have the desired keyboard.

Orygin@sh.itjust.works on 30 Sep 2024 15:19 collapse

Except my layout (bepo) is not in any specific locale and was installed manually. So I don’t think this would work

Skua@kbin.earth on 29 Sep 2024 23:57 next collapse

For what it's worth, making a custom layout actually is a huge pain in the arse. That's a pretty niche use case, but there is definitely no reason for it to be as much of a hassle as it is

Prime@lemmy.sdf.org on 01 Oct 2024 08:21 collapse

I did that on Windows. It worked. It did not work for me in Linux :(

ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org on 01 Oct 2024 10:35 collapse

I just changed one of the existing layouts. Very easy in any text editor, you just need to find the proper name or Unicode code for each function/character.

Prime@lemmy.sdf.org on 01 Oct 2024 19:56 collapse

I see. I should try that. Thanks

ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org on 01 Oct 2024 20:38 collapse

If you’re using xkb, try this guide. Of course, backup any system files before modifying them, and just to be sure, add a 2nd keyboard layout as backup and know how to switch between them to have a fallback if you corrupt the primary one.

There might be TUI or GUI tools too, probably way more convenient for a one-off change on a single PC.

Prime@lemmy.sdf.org on 16 Oct 2024 13:03 collapse

Thanks, that is a good starting point. All the GUIs I found have been deprecated, so I’ll go with the purely text-based approach. At least it will be trivial to copy it to my other machines. Fingers crossed!

dullbananas@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 2024 01:19 collapse

Not relevant to public computers

lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network on 30 Sep 2024 18:21 collapse

Neither is the Linux one.

Also, why are you bringing keyboards to public computers‽

dullbananas@lemmy.ca on 30 Sep 2024 18:39 collapse

I use dvorak on the provided keyboards

lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network on 30 Sep 2024 19:03 collapse

I recommend against setting public computers to Dvorak.

Hildegarde@lemmy.world on 01 Oct 2024 15:04 collapse

I’ve not used windows regularly since XP but I recall being very confused that the keyboard layout setting defaults to being per-application rather than syatemwide. Don’t know if that’s how its still done and I have no reason to care.

CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world on 01 Oct 2024 20:45 collapse

Which is actually my preference. How do you get per application keyboard settings for Linux? Seems like it’s not usually built in.