Comment 12 for bug 415667

I'm not a ubuntu user too. However I figured out that the default input method in GTK applications can be changed by the GTK_IM_MODULE environment variable. I don't know how its default value is chosen, though. And that may be the point. Available values for this variable should be listed in the first column of /etc/gtk-2.0/gtk.immodules. The one Alex wants is "xim" which stands for "X Input Method". So a workaround is to set GTK_IM_MODULE="xim" in some startup script and you should see it selected by default in the "Input Methods" submenu of the text fields contextual menus. I've also heard of a QT_IM_MODULE similar variable but havn't tested it.