Unhappy Xorg upgrade

[Alex Goncharov]

,--- I/Alex (Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:11:21 -0500) ----*
| Knowing about specific things now fixed for specific users is very
| encouraging.
| 
| Thanks a lot!
`-------------------------------------------------*
,--- You/Matt (Sun, 1 Feb 2009 14:17:16 +0000) ----*
| I had better post to the lists exactly what I did, having thrown that 
| encouraging word out:

I'll make a pass on your list, to compare notes etc.

| Ensure the files section doesn't contain anything like RGBPath if
| you've upgraded, then add Option "AllowEmptyInput" "False" and
| Option "AutoAddDevices" "False" to the server layout section in
| xorg.conf.

I did that -- when I was using HAL.

| Then create a file ${LOCALBASE}/etc/hal/fdi/policy/x11-input.fdi
| with the following contents:
| 
| <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
| <deviceinfo version="0.2">
|   <device>
|     <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keyboard">
|       <merge key="input.xkb.layout" type="string">gb</merge>
|     </match>
|   </device>
| </deviceinfo>

Not applicable to me, here in the USA.

| Restart hald etc.

Not applicable to me, running without HAL.

| This cleared up all issues of not playing nice with moused, missing keyboards 
| and quotemarks on my @ key ;o) Obviously, you'll want to replace "gb" with 
| whatever layout you require from ${LOCALBASE}/share/X11/xkb/symbols/. Note I 
| have not tried hotplugging a USB mouse on this configuration. That's to come 
| on the laptop, which works fine with its trackpad (although middle and right 
| clicks have been redefined to three and two finger taps respectively - it was 
| the other way around) with the updated xf86-input-synaptics driver. 

This is an interesting bit...

So, I have a lousy new X on a desktop, and had a fully disfunctional
one on my Latitude notebook (due to "crazy" keyboard" events), the
latter being reverted to xorg-server 1.4.

The laptop has a touch pad, which is reasonable to assume to be
"synaptics" -- but I don't use the pad (I've physically covered it,
and use only the "pointing stick" in the middle of the keyboard);
during one my experiments I also disabled the thing in BIOS.

And: I have never used the xf86-input-synaptics driver.

Is this something to think about -- what is the role of this driver?
Can the lack of it bring the storm of bogus key events with wrong scan codes?

| Which brings me to another little niggle: <aside> Has anyone on list noticed 
| that statically compiling a keymap in your kernel >7.0-RELEASE ends up with 
| the US layout in single user mode regardless? This used to work, but now it 
| doesn't, unless I've missed something in NOTES somewhere. </aside>

I can't comment on it -- but why to do it: why not to use the xkb
extensions (Option "XkbLayout" "gb" -- or something of that sort)?

-- Alex -- alex-goncharov at comcast.net --