Keyboard configuration programs use /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/*.xml file in order to find the possible models, layouts, variants. Unfortunately some Macintosh-related combination are not supported. For example the following logical choice is not supported: keyboard model 'macintosh' ("Macintosh"), layout 'de' ("Germany") and variant 'mac_nodeadkeys' ("Germany - Macintosh, eliminate dead keys"). The reason for this is that when the user selects model 'macintosh' and layout 'de' the file /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/macintosh_vndr/de is used instead of /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/de and there is no mac_nodeadkeys there. As a result the keyboard is leaved in a bad state. I suppose that one possible fix for this problem would be to ignore the files in macintosh_vndr. The standard files in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols describe all Mac-layouts so there is no need to use the files in macintosh_vndr.
Actually it is not about .xml file - which, as you correctly noted, does not allow things like "combination of model M and layout/variant LV is forbidden". The problem is in the rules, which are using macintoch_vndr subdirectory (look, for example, at usage of $macvendorlayouts in rules/base.ml_s.part) The thing is that some layouts are really mac-specific > The standard files in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols describe all Mac-layouts What makes you think so? As far as I know that's not the case. Anyway, I realize that the problem exists. I just do not know any real solution that would make happy everybody and would be manageable. Please suggest
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