Ctrl-Alt expected to work like AltGr?

[Martin Martin]

Ctrl-Alt ([Ctrl]+[Alt]) is supposed to be a replacement of Alt Gr ([Alt Gr]), however, in Ubuntu Breezy and Dapper, Ctrl-Alt is broken, i.e. shortcuts with Alt Gr work while shortcuts with Ctrl-Alt do not.

[M. (m-0x4d)]

Confirmed (using a Swiss German notebook keyboard).

[Peter (peter-mailinator)]

When will this problem be solved? It's very inconvenient if you cannot type using the common keyboard shortcurts. In my case for example, touch typing isn't fully possible with Ubuntu so far... :(

[Peter (peter-mailinator)]

... a working keyboard should be of highest priority for a cmpetitive operation system.

[Rolf Ernst (rolfernst)]

Yes, [Ctrl]+[Alt] should work like [Alt Gr] since touch typing (Zehnfingersystem in German) would not work otherwise... at least not with a Swiss German keyboard.

[Rolf Ernst (rolfernst)]

Wishlist?

Linux is not a mouse only OS, therefore a working keyboard should have a certain poriority in the development process.

[dumpfbacke (dumpfbacke)]

Same problem here. See also http://www.mailnator.com/.

[Tollef Fog Heen (tfheen)]

This would break using ctrl+alt+key as a shortcut and there's no precedent for letting Ctrl+Alt be mapped to Alt-Gr, so I'm rejecting this bug.

[Swissbuntu (swiss)]

As a Swiss Ubuntu user, I'm very disappointed that Ubuntu doesn't fully support our Swiss German keyboard. Now, I'll have to find a Linux distribution that allows me to use my keyboard... bye bye, Ubuntu! :-(

[svizzer (svizzer)]

TollefFogHeen seems to be a member of Ubuntu's core development team, however, he is not even able to make the Swiss German keyboard work with Ubuntu?!?!?!

[svizzer (svizzer)]

Sorry, TollefFogHeen, you might not be able to fix this bug, however, somebody else might be capable of making the Swiss German keyboard work with Ubuntu.

[svizzer (svizzer)]

P.S.: Just tell me TollefFogHeen, please, how I am supposed to enter brackets with a Swiss German keyboard???

[svizzer (svizzer)]

Bug no longer assigned to TollefFogHeen since he is 1. not able to solve the bug und does 2. not care about Swiss German Ubuntu users.

[Tollef Fog Heen (tfheen)]

First, Ctrl-Alt vs AltGr has nothing to do with Swiss or other keyboard layouts. It's orthogonal. I did test that the swiss keyboard works just fine. I can enter braces with the Swiss keyboard layout using AltGr + four of the keys between p, l and enter.

[svizzer (svizzer)]

Yes, Tollef Fog Heen, AltGr works, however, that's no correct typing. Correct typing would be to use left hand and right hand, not only right hand. It seems that you cannot type. A related problem is the pipe character, Ctrl + 7 does not work under Ubuntu either. I can only recommend to Swiss German users to abandon Ubuntu in favour of a distribution with support for the Swiss German keyboard and with developers who know how to type. Sad, Ubuntu had such a good start!

[Dennis Kaarsemaker (dennis)]

svizzer: If you want people to take you and your bugs seriously, please read http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct and adhere to this code of conduct when posting on the bugtracker or other public Ubuntu communication media.

[Martin (martin-0x4d)]

Guys, guys, calm down please!

Being honest, I don't know why Ubuntu Linux doesn't support [Ctrl]+[Alt] as a [Alt Gr] replacement. Efficient typing doesn't work without this function, so I'll reopen this bug as "minor" if you don't mind.

Speaking of efficient typing, it's called "Zehnfingersystem" in German, see http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zehnfingersystem for further information.

[Dennis Kaarsemaker (dennis)]

Stop un-rejecting this bug.

[Martin (martin-0x4d)]

Calm down, Dennis!

Would it be that difficult to support what we call "Zehnfingersystem" (see above)?

[Dennis Kaarsemaker (dennis)]

 status Rejected

[Arturo Orlando (arturo-orlando)]

Since this bug report sadly turned into a flame, which prevented understanding of the issue’s relevance, and because it is now five and a half years old, I have filed a new report (Bug #822872: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xkeyboard-config/+bug/822872) in which I have tried to explain in greater depth this important problem.
Please, everybody who originally understood the gravity of this bug, come over and report that it still affects you, too. But, I beg you, do not bring with you the animosity that turned this report into a flame.
You will also find (in comment #3) a makeshift workaround that I have devised.
Thank you very much in advance.

[Arturo Orlando (arturo-orlando)]

There are several help requests such as yours and mine, around the web, but none of them prompted the developers to solve the problem. The cause is, in my opinion, lack of mutual understanding between those, such as us, who daily use an extended keyboard layout (and so take the importance of this problem for granted), and those who are not familiar with third level keys (and so see this as a very marginal or unimportant problem). This is why it’s so important not to lose one’s temper: the issue is not as evident to everybody as it seems.
We need to get through and prove the importance of this issue, as its solution would greatly improve usability for European users (as well as anybody using an extended keyboard layout). This can only be achieved through good manners. As the Latin saying goes: “Suaviter in modō, fortiter in rē”, that is “Gentle in manner, resolute in matter".