virtualbox.org

I'm using finnish keyboard layout and booting Puppy linux as guest (but this probably applies to any guest). On a boot: prompt, before the kernel has been started, I need equal sign to enter options (for example 'vga='). At that state, the layout of the keyboard is US in Puppy and I should get the equal sign with the key which is acute accent in finnish keyboard (left from backspace). Normally it is dead key to enter composites but in that case it is too dead - it doesn't do enything at all. It doesn't work even later when I have switched the keyboard to finnish in Puppy. It seems to be like VirtualBox wouldn't forward that key to the guest at all.

Any ideas or workarounds?

The host system is 64bit Ubuntu Hardy.

VirtualBox version is 1.5.6_OSE.

--

Timo

Works in XP Guest just fine with VBox 1.6.6, you can loan some of these ´´´´´´


Does that option entering accept ' which you can get from the "*' key next to Enter?
That should give the ' in both US and FI keyboard layouts.

Setebos wrote:Works in XP Guest just fine with VBox 1.6.6, you can loan some of these ´´´´´´

Thanks, but unfortunately they are equal signs what I'm missing. Do you have any of them in stock?

Anyway, so you do have a finnish keyboard and the '/`-key is working? And you can compose í and ì and also ï, î, ? and ?? Then I guess the problem is solved in 1.6.6 version. In my version those dead keys are really absolutely dead, even if the guest handles the keyboard as FI-layout.

Setebos wrote:Does that option entering accept ' which you can get from the "*' key next to Enter? That should give the ' in both US and FI keyboard layouts.

Actually it gives backslash or pipe ( \ / | ), but maybe my writing of the issue was confusing: It really is the equal sign which I'm unable to produce. The ´/` -key of FI-layout should give it when the keyboard is treated as it was US-layout. I of course tried all the other keys too. All other keys work as expected (as long as I remember US-layout), except what I'm saying below.

I tested a little more and noticed that the other dead key of FI layout, ^/"/~, doesn't give anything either.

Anyway, hopefully the VBox is updated in Ubuntu repository real soon.

Thanks Setebos

--

Timo

Ok, encouraged by the hint by Setebos I upgraded to version 2.0.2 non-OSE and solved the problem.

The keys doesn't work completely right, though. When Puppy has booted and keyboard is configured as FI in Puppy too, the keys are not working as dead composite keys. When I press ` and i I get `i when I should get ì.

I can't be sure if this is VBox or Puppy issue. Does the keys work as true composites for others?

--

Timo

I know for my Host (Xubuntu 8.04) there are a few settings you can do. As we use the US International layouts here with dead keys, there are two options for us. Either normal dead keys, or AltGr dead keys. The first is that it works as it does on Windows, but there are some special characters that appear to (like a ' on the s). With the other option, I need to hold the AltGr key before using those dead keys to get the special characters like í, ì and ï. Might be the same for you.
My Windows Guests have no problems with this, they use their own layout and work as they should as if they are installed natively.

Sasquatch wrote:I know for my Host (Xubuntu 8.04) there are a few settings you can do. As we use the US International layouts here with dead keys, there are two options for us. Either normal dead keys, or AltGr dead keys. The first is that it works as it does on Windows, but there are some special characters that appear to (like a ' on the s). With the other option, I need to hold the AltGr key before using those dead keys to get the special characters like í, ì and ï. Might be the same for you.

Yes, I guess it is possible that Puppy uses some kind of scheme that I don't grasp. Puppy definitely is a little confused with FI keyboard. Otherwise the keyboard layout is FI but then ö-key produces |-sign and ä-key produces {-sign and so on. But this is clearly Puppy issue.

Sasquatch wrote:My Windows Guests have no problems with this, they use their own layout and work as they should as if they are installed natively.

I tested with SliTaz. As it is french, it is supposed to handle international things gracefully and indeed it worked as expected. So I think, the conclusion is that there is no problem any more in VBox 2.0.2 in this regard.

Thanks Sasquatch.

--

Timo