openSUSE 10.2 Windows Key Workaround - Jonathan Pryor's web log

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openSUSE 10.2 Windows Key Workaround

Massimiliano Mantione suggested a workaround for the Gnome main-menu in openSUSE 10.2 always "eating" the Windows key: add an additional modifier, such as Ctrl or Alt. This works, so Alt+Win+F1 can be used to switch to workspace 1. Additionally, this can be typed with one hand, making it significantly better than using Menu+F1 for the same task.

The downside is that there is an ordering requirement: whatever modifier you use with the Win key must be typed before the Win key, so Alt+Win+F1 switches to workspace 1, while Win+Alt+F1 (Win key typed first) results in displaying the main menu, with the Alt+F1 ignored. This is annoying.

What's odd is the Keyboard Shortcuts applet: Alt+Win+r is <Alt><Mod4><Hyper>r -- an extra modifier, <Hyper>, is synthesized. (Before openSUSE 10.2, Win+F1 would be <Mod4>r, so the <Mod4> makes sense. Furthermore, it wasn't always possible to use the Win key when entering shortcuts within the Keyboard Shortcuts applet, but it was possible to enter it manually within gconf-editor by using <Mod4> as a "stand-in" for the Win key.)

Posted on 03 Jan 2007 | Path: /development/ | Permalink