Linux Desktop Hacks

Redefine Keyboard Actions #10

Chapter 2, Console

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33

HACK

Save your modifications to the file /etc/mykeys.

You’re not quite done. You still have to load this new set of definitions into

the system before the modifications will work. You do that with the follow-

ing command:

$ sudo loadkeys /etc/mykeys

Now you can use either the left or right Alt key (plus a function key such as

F1) to switch between the most frequently used virtual consoles. The down-

side, if there is one, is that you can no longer get to Console_13 or higher by

pressing Altgr-F1, Altgr-F2, etc. In most cases, however, Linux does not acti-

vate consoles above Console_11, so you’ll never miss the lost capability.

If you want to have your computer automatically reload the new key defini-

tions at startup, see the sidebar “Keep Your Custom Keys Intact.”

Deep-Six the Caps Lock Key

This section describes another thing you can accomplish by changing the

keycode definitions.

I hate the Caps Lock key. I am always inadvertently hitting the key, after

which I type a full command at the console in caps before I realize what I’ve

done. Naturally, the command does not work, because Linux/Unix is case-

sensitive.

Although you can redefine the key in your /etc/mykeys file with your favor-

ite editor (which would be a good idea if you also implement the previous

hack), here are two tricks you can use without having to edit any files. This

first trick ...