Console font/locales error.

[Paulo Zanoni]

I've detected problems with the console on the new 6.10.

I saw this problem happening on every 6.10 installation, including brand new installations.

Symptoms:
In the console (not in X), with "abnt2" (brazilian) keyboards, some keys like the "/" key (which is also the "?" key) doesn't work. If you press them, nothing happens. Other keys, like the "ç" works perfectly. When scripts output message, some characters doesn't show correctly.

Another way to reproduce the bug:
Press ctrl + alt + f1
There will be a message like:
"Ubuntu 6.10 ubuntu tty1
ubuntu login:"

Type áá, it will be like:
"ubuntu login: áá"

Now, press backspace. Nothing will happen, it will be still showing the "áá", but if you type your username, you will be able to login: the console is showing the "áá", but the backspace really erased them.

Now, after logging in, try to type "cd /". The "/" key won't work. Only the one in the numeric pad.

I've tried "dpkg-reconfigure console-setup", but it didn't work, and I've tried a lot of different combinations.
But these options should be the default:
"Brazilian ABNT2" "Brazil" "Brazil" "Right Alt" "No compose key" "UTF-8" "LAT15" "VGA"

It used to work with 6.06, now it doesn't work, even if you make a brand new install! (or: every new user will experience this bug!).

Something that I noticed, is that the console font has changed since 6.06. This is not a "problem", but may be a symptom.

I'm using Linux ubuntu 2.6.17-10-generic #2 SMP Fri Oct 13 18:45:35 UTC 2006 i686 GNU/Linux

Thanks.

[Paulo Zanoni (pzanoni)]

Someone put this as a "xconsole" bug. I don't know if this is right or wrong, I'm writing this reply just to make it clear that this bug doesn't happen on X Window System.

It happens only on the virtual terminal console. Only when you press ctrl + alt + f[1-6].

I can't reproduce the bug on xterm or gnome-terminal.

Thanks.

[Kurt Kraut (kurtkraut)]

I'm having the same problem here. This is absolutely not related to X.

For me, it seems a real bug. Thanks for reporting it.

[Kurt Kraut (kurtkraut)]

This is not a xconsole bug. This is probably a console-data bug. Please, change it.

[Paulo Zanoni (pzanoni)]

i'm still bugged =X

[Paulo Zanoni (pzanoni)]

I've just upgraded to 7.04

My situation got worse... After the upgrade, the console was all screwed up!

I've tried reconfiguring console-stup, console-tools and console-data, got no successfull results.

Reconfiguring packages made the situation "a little bit better", but still not good.

I've noticed strange bugs: if you just change the console fonts (like from VGA to Terminus) you get different symptoms... Like, with one font the key "/" works but "caps lock" and "ç" doesn't work. With other font the key "/" doesn't work, but "ç" works and "caps lock" behaves exacly like "shift".

Sometimes the console was bigger than my screen! (so I couldn't see what I was typing because it was below the screen...)

If you guys could give me a few tips, I could try to dig in and fix the errors and send the patches to you... Is there someone I could talk to? (like in IRC).

Is this really a console-data error??

Cheers,
Zólhos.

[Paulo Zanoni (pzanoni)]

Forgot to tell!
There is another symptom:
Now (AFTER the upgrade only!!) the cosole colors are also messed up! All I can see is black/white/gray/red. No more colors!!

[NoWhereMan (e.vacchi) (uncommonnonsense)]

I've carefully dpkg-reconfigure-ed localeconf, console-data and console-setup

looks like it works. As for the colors, console-setup tells you that using a dot (.) font-set may reduce the number of colours if you don't use the framebuffer for consoles (and I think you probably don't); try to look here http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Documentation/fb

it *is* a bug that these locale-dependant settings are not set automatically. By the way it is probably hard to fix, as many packages are involved (maybe a debconf metapackage?).

bye

[NoWhereMan (e.vacchi) (uncommonnonsense)]

hmm, if you just swich to X and then back to the console you lose the change; and of course it won't work after reboot... I'll try the fb thing...

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

André, what did you do to fix this bug?

[André Gondim (andregondim)]

Colin, I have been tested this and can't reproduce this problem.

[Christian Perrier (bubulle)]

Quoting André Gondim (<email address hidden>):
> Colin, I have been tested this and can't reproduce this problem.

This problem depends on whether you're using console-common or
kbd. The same bug was reported in Debian and was a nightmare to
investigate.

It's maybe even still opened either in kbd or in console-common
BTS. I've given up for quite a long time about this bug as I'm afraid
that nearly nobody cares anymore about console handling...:)