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[Bug 201711] Re: Apple fn key behavior isn't consistent with what's expected

 

> I already tried setting "option hid pb_fnmode=2" in both /etc/modprobe.conf
> as well as /etc/modprobe.d/options - neither had any effect on a reboot.

Raphael, you're doing it correctly.
You must add "option hid pb_fnmode=2" in /etc/modprobe.d/options.
AND you must regenerate your initrd image with the command "update-initramfs -u"


> Seriously, when working with a highly customizable system such as linux,
> shouldn't we be able to tell any key on any keyboard to do anything we want?
> If i want my spacebar to act as my F3 key, I should be able to do that (not that I want to).

Linux is not meant to be a highly customizable system, it is meant to be a great OS!
But it is indeed customizable if you consider that you have the source code in your hands.
If you hate one particular thing, like the lack of a spacebar mapping to your F3 key,
you can always rewrite the keymaps (like I indeed do to change the place of my
interrogation sign key), and you can even reprogram some functions in the
programs that you use the most.

But, that's not the main topic of this BUG entry, so let's continue it in the ubuntuforums.
We can discuss a lot there!

-- 
Apple fn key behavior isn't consistent with what's expected
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/201711
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Mactel
Support, which is the registrant for Mactel Support.

Status in Mactel Support: New
Status in Source Package "linux" in Ubuntu: New
Status in Source Package "linux" in Suse Linux: Fix Released

Bug description:
Hi, this is a follow up to bug 162083.  With my newly functional FN key on my Aluminum BT keyboard, I realized that the default behavior on it doesn't make much sense with what users have come to expect on Linux systems.  The default behavior is that the "special keys", like f1-f2-f10-f11-etc all act "special" without pressing fn.  They then act normally when you hold FN.  This is the default behavior on Mac OSX, but on Linux the FN keys are more commonly used.  Eg, it's rather awkward to have to press ctrl-alt-fn-f1 to switch to a VT, or FN-F11 to set a terminal full screen.



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