FreeBSD and gaming keyboards (like k95)

[Christian Baer]

On Sun, 9 Nov 2014 03:27:04 +0100
Polytropon <freebsd at edvax.de> wrote:

> That should not be a problem as long as the keys
> send individual codes. You can verify this with
> the X event tester utility, xev. Adding a key symbol
> to a key code is done by xmodmap. The window manager,
> desktop environment, or application programs can
> then pick up those key symbols and cause the desired
> action to happen, either natively through the program
> itself, or by using the xbindkeys program to "output"
> custom actions (press a key, press a key combination,
> press a key sequence, start a program, and so on).

To use use Bugs Bunny's words:
"Hey doc, you got thing thing all wrong!" :-)

I do not have the said keyboad yet. The point of this enquiry was to
maybe get some feedback from other users who may already have this
keyboard, so I have an idea about how much use it will be for me.

I do not doubt that the basic functions will work fine. I wanted to
know if the special functions (like light, macros) only work under
Windows or if FreeBSD has some access to them too.


> > - At least one set of macros works under FreeBSD.
> This entirely depends on what the keyboard sends to
> the USB interface.

Yeah, I got that. :-)

This thread was not supposed to be a more or less academic discussion
about what kind of signals from a keyboard FreeBSD will be able to
process. This was supposed to be a pretty concrete question about a
certain keyboard or possibly some other gaming keyboard.

You actually went into the question I was going for a little further
down. :-)

> I have something similar on the Sun USB type 7 keyboard
> which I have gotten comfortable with, even though I miss
> the feel of the model M switches. That's why I'll soon
> migrate to a BOSCOM 5250 keyboard with has a 2x5 block
> on the left plus 12 additional function keys (2nd row
> on top) - best of both worlds. Needless to say, I have
> already verified the keyboard in the way mentioned above. :-)

I have no idea what kind of keyboard that is, nor could I find anything
about it using duckduckgo.:-(

But Mehmet found a picture of the said keyboad, so I will comment that
in my reply to the other post.

> Don't call my professional programming keybards "gaming
> keyboards". :-)

Technically, I didn't name any keyboard at all. The manufacturer came
up with the name. :-P

Best regards,
Chris