keyboard layout changes before key is released

[Silvio Ricardo Cordeiro]

Binary package hint: gnome-applets

Suppose CTRL+ALT+DEL turns off the computer.
If CTRL+ALT is assigned as a layout switching combination,
CTRL+ALT+DEL won't work anymore. The problem is that,
when CTRL and ALT are pressed together, the layout
is switched right away, consuming the key presses.

Instead, CTRL+ALT (and all the other key combinations
involving only CTRL, ALT, WIN and SHIFT)
should only change the keyboard layout *after* the
keys are released. This would give users the oportunity
of "key combos" that use the switching keys
(in this case the CTRL+ALT+DEL one).

This shouldn't be a problem for people who are used
to the key being consumed when the key is pressed,
since it's usually pressed and released right after that.
But it would be really good for people who associate
these 4 keys (CTRL, ALT, WIN and SHIFT) with the
idea of *modifier* keys. If they can modify other keys,
one wouldn't expect that they had priority over the
modifiable keys, right?

The problem is that, right now, I can't use the most
common layout-switching combinations because of this.
CTRL+SHIFT is used on text editors with the arrows to
select one-word-at-a-time, CTRL+ALT is part of the
CTRL+ALT+DEL combo...

Well, I'm not completely sure if it's the
Keyboard Indicator's fault. I apologize if it's not.
But I don't really believe it's an OS limitation... Is it?

Ubuntu version: 8.04
gnome-applets: 2.22.2-0ubuntu2

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi silvioricardoc,

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue for you? Can you try with the latest development release of Ubuntu? (ISOs are available from cdimage.ubuntu.com)

If it remains an issue, could you also attach a new /var/log/Xorg.0.log?
Thanks in advance.

The output of lspci -vvnn would also be worth having.

[Silvio Ricardo Cordeiro (silvioricardoc)]

When I filed this bug report, I though that "Keyboard Indicator" had something to do with my problem. I've been able to trace
the source of the problem to some extend, going from the "Keyboard Indicator" to "Gnome Keyboard Properties" and then gconf (through xkb_layouts_set_selected_list, in Gnome Keyboard Properties).

"/desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/kbd", in gconf, is the nearest I've gotten to the solution of my problem. I just need to figure out what application (a daemon, I'm pretty sure) controls the keyboard layout switching. Is it Xorg?

I'll update to 8.10 soon. Then, if this hasn't been corrected yet, I'll keep digging ;)
I've attached /var/log/Xorg.0.log (I'm not sure I get the "a *new* /var/log/Xor.0.log"; I hadn't attached a log for this bug report yet...) and the output of "lspci -vvnn". Is there any other information I may provide?