Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 10:02:09 -0800 From: Kent Stewart <kstewart@owt.com> To: gerard-seibert@rcn.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: special characters, ie spanish accents Message-ID: <200403211002.09926.kstewart@owt.com> In-Reply-To: <20040321064335.7DF2.GERARD-SEIBERT@rcn.com> References: <20040321003914.599A216A4D2@hub.freebsd.org> <20040321064335.7DF2.GERARD-SEIBERT@rcn.com>
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On Sunday 21 March 2004 03:49 am, Gerard Seibert wrote: > On Saturday, March 20, 2004 7:39:14 PM Kent Stewart <kstewart@owt.com>=20 wrote: > |>Message: 38 > |>Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 16:37:50 -0800 > |>From: Kent Stewart <kstewart@owt.com> > |>Subject: Re: special characters, ie spanish accents > |>To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > |>Cc: chip <chip@wiegand.org> > |>Message-ID: <200403201637.50289.kstewart@owt.com> > |>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3D"iso-8859-1" > |> > |>On Saturday 20 March 2004 03:46 pm, chip wrote: > |>> How do I get the special characters to work, which work in MS > |>> Windoze using the conbination of right-alt+4digit code? I need to > |>> be able to use certain accents and characters found in spanish > |>> writing. I am using FBSD-5.1 with XFCE window manager. > |>> Thanks, > |>> Chip > |> > |>I use kde-3.2.1, which allows you to set the > |>regional and accessability > keyboard layouts. I use the es Spanish > |>option. You don't have to do the terrible alt+keypad sequence.. > |> There are a lot of people that have used xdb to do the same thing. > |> Do an archive search. > |> > |>BTW, you can do the same thing with W2K or XP. You choose the > |> keyboard layout and you hold the right <alt><shift> down to > |> switch. If you do a web search on keyboard layouts and go to the > |> Microsoft site, you can grab images of the keyboard. > |> > |>Kent > |> > |>--- > |>Kent Stewart > |>Richland, WA > |> > |>http://users.owt.com/kstewart/index.html > > ********** Reply Separator ********** > Sunday, March 21, 2004 6:43:35 AM > > > I have no intentions of starting an argument, however I do seriously > disagree with your assessment that using the <ALT>+<NUM-KEYBOARD> > sequence is terrible. I find it to be a very ingenious and quick way > to insert characters without going through he hassle of changing > keyboard assignments, etc. This becomes even more important when > there is the possibility that others may be using the same computer > and are not aware that changes have been made to the system. > > Well that is my 2=A2 {<alt><155>} worth. > It isn't something to argue about. What you are the most comfortable=20 with is always the best way. I used the <alt><keypad> sequence for a=20 number of years. I didn't make a real effort to switch to something=20 else until I found that the <alt><keypad> sequence was not being=20 interpreted on all computers as the same character. I take a document sent from a Mac OS/X machine and convert it into html.=20 The Mac bullets became a =A5 on my FreeBSD system. Finding a sequence to=20 make sed batch convert them into html bullets was interesting :). If you are only going to add a few characters, your <alt><keypad> may be=20 the most efficient. I have to press 2 at the same time and then press 2=20 keys to get the special character. You are ahead at this point because=20 I am going to have to press 2 more at the same time to switch back. If=20 we are writing a paragraph or so, I will be ahead on keystrokes at the=20 2nd special character. Speed wise, I may be ahead regardless since=20 everything keeps my hands in the home key position. If you are just starting out, it is a function of what makes you=20 proficient with the least effort. Having to only memorize 10=20 <alt><keypad> characters instead of 30 is a different matter.=20 Have you ever used a keyboard layout with dead keys? For the Spanish=20 acute's, you press the apostrophy and then the key you want to acute.=20 You don't even have to take your hands away from the home positions to=20 type them. The quote is also a dead key for characters such as =DC,=20 another one for =F1, and etc. If you press a dead key and the space bar,=20 you get the original character. There is also an English International layout that gives you many of the=20 dead keys and you still see the original layout for English keyboards.=20 I think the right <alt> adds a number of characters to your choices.=20 You have to memorize where they are on the keyboard. I really hate to=20 memorize something when I have an intuitive choice with the dead keys.=20 If I was starting over, this would have probably been my first choice=20 for an alternate keyboard layout. Getting me to switch to this, at this=20 point, would be as difficult as getting you to drop the <alt><keypad>=20 sequences. It goes into my category of fixing something that isn't=20 broken. When you use layouts, you haven't really modified your keyboard but have=20 added an additional one to your choices. You have to do something=20 physical to switch from one to the other. The xdb route gives you something like <alt>e for =E9 and etc. I think it=20 is the best choice but have been too lazy to change my keyboard=20 assignment. You have a number of intuitive choices and not as much to=20 memorize as you do with the <alt> keypad sequences. If you use something like Adobe's GoLive to maintain html, it will=20 switch your dead key typed =E9 into ´ and leave your html as=20 something other computers recognize as an acute. It doesn't do this=20 with the <alt><keypad> characters. BTW, your =A2 is a really good example because it is not available on=20 either of the layouts that I use. Kent =2D-=20 Kent Stewart Richland, WA http://users.owt.com/kstewart/index.html
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