Here a comment to my last comment: I don't know why all these key shortcuts were redefined in Kubuntu 9.04. The ESC-key was blocked by "activate lock/logout mini program", a function I'd never ever need. After removing this definition in "Global Keyboard Shortcuts" the ESC key behaved normal again. Alt-F1 for the application launcher could be reactivated by using Kickoff's context menu.
Here a comment to my last comment: I don't know why all these key shortcuts were redefined in Kubuntu 9.04. The ESC-key was blocked by "activate lock/logout mini program", a function I'd never ever need. After removing this definition in "Global Keyboard Shortcuts" the ESC key behaved normal again. Alt-F1 for the application launcher could be reactivated by using Kickoff's context menu.