Japanese Keyboard

zaxonus

I just installed NetBSD 9.3 on an old laptop. It seems to work but I have a hard time setting up the Japanese keyboard in X. I chose a Japanese layout during the installation so the TTY consoles are OK.

But in X though I've tried various tricks, nothing works. I can run this command in the terminal:

$ setxkbmap -model jp106 -layout jp

and it works but I want to do it in the settings (config file or start up script) so I do not need to run a command each time.

Any relevant advice will be welcome.

JuvenalUrbino

zaxonus you may do as @kc9udx suggested, putting the setxkbmap command in your x init script (~/.xinitrc, or ~/.xsession if you're using XDM); alternatively, you may create a /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/keyboard.conf file with the following content:

Section "InputDevice"
  Identifier "Keyboard0"
  Driver "kbd"
  Option "XkbModel" "jp106"     

  Option "XkbLayout" "jp"
  Option "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp,ctrl:nocaps"
EndSection

kc9udx

There might be a better way, but you could put it at the start of your .xinitrc file (it's in your home directory; I'm kind of embarrassed that this keyboard doesn't have a tilde)

JuvenalUrbino

kc9udx I'm kind of embarrassed that this keyboard doesn't have a tilde

On some layouts it may be available with the AltGr + [top right char] combination.

kc9udx

JuvenalUrbino yes, but this is Yandex Keyboard 😁 ~ I guess I found it, it's atop Commercial At @

zaxonus

I already tried to put this command inside the file .shrc (in the home directory) :
setxkbmap -model jp106 -layout jp
But it doesn't seem to be executed.

I also tried in .xinitrc, it also doesn't seem to be executed.

I later tried in .xsession. There it did prevent me from logging in.
In other words I was sent back to the login prompt each time I entered mi credentials and wanted to log in.

... Finally the suggestion with the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/keyboard.conf file is working.

I created a xorg.conf.d folder and then a keyboard.conf file as suggested.

I am not sure what the line XkbOptions exactly does, but it works.

Thanks a lot !

JuvenalUrbino

zaxonus I am not sure what the line XkbOptions exactly does, but it works.

Sorry this was lazily copied from my Xorg configuration.

terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp allows to kill X with a Ctrl+Alt+Bksp combination
ctrl:nocaps turns Caps Lock into another Control

zaxonus

OK, thanks. But the "ctrl:nocaps" part is not totally clear. What do you mean by "another Control" ?
A third CTRL-key ?

kc9udx

zaxonus yes, but that's not really the point.

CTRL belongs either to the left of Q or to the left of A, and only one of them; not on both far bottom corners. So if your CAPS LOCK or SHIFT LOCK is left of A like a typewriter, you can convert it to a teletype standard CONTROL key.