Linux Desktop Hacks

30

|

Chapter 2, Console

#10 Redefine Keyboard Actions

HACK

HACK

#10

Redefine Keyboard Actions Hack #10

Fine-tune the way your keyboard behaves when using plain virtual consoles.

This hack describes one of many ways you can customize the default behav-

ior of keys and key combinations for your keyboard. If you just want to

make your special function keys on your fancy Internet and multimedia key-

board work, take a look at “Heat Up Your Keyboard with Hotkeys”

[Hack #28]

and “Get Hotter Hotkeys with LinEAK” [Hack #29]. But if you want to fine-

tune how keystrokes affect virtual text consoles, this is the place for you.

Virtual Consoles

You might recall that people used to attach several text-based terminals to

minicomputers and mainframes so that many people could access the com-

puter at once. Each person could log in to the computer and work on his

separate text console, because he had his own text-based terminal con-

nected to the main computer.

Linux simulates that kind of behavior with a single terminal and several vir-

tual consoles. Even if your Linux-based computer starts up automatically

with a graphical login screen, you can get to the first virtual text console by

pressing the key combination Ctrl-Alt-F1. If you want, you can log in and

work, using text-based programs. If you press Alt-F2 from here (or Ctrl-Alt-

F2), Linux takes you to another virtual console with another login prompt.

This simulates ...