spanish keyboard for linux users?

Question

I broke my computer and stuck a new hard disk in but have lost my Windows OS discs and have installed UBUNTU in the meantime, a linux os (that is free)

Anyone know how to do spanish accents on that'

Answer 1

I tried installing the Latin American keyboard under Ubuntu and found it useless. The USA International (with dead keys)" is much more useful. It is super easy to do the é ñ and so on by just typing apostrophe then e, or tilde then n. I like it a lot because I don have to memorize new keys. I can just use the familiar ones.:

http://spanish.about.com/od/writtenspanish/a/dia_ubuntu.htm

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There doesn't seem to be a quick changeover button though to switch from one to another.

Right-click your panel (where your menu and shortcut icons are) -> Add to Panel -> Keyboard Indicator -> OK

This will put a little "USA" or similar in your panel. Just click on it to cycle through the various keyboard layouts you have enabled.

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You can have USA for all your windows but Spanish for just this website by: System -> Preferences -> Keyboard -> Layouts (tab) -> Separate layout for each window (checkbox)

Then while on this website (or whenever you want Spanish characters) click the little "USA" in the panel to cycle to the appropriate keyboard. Your keyboard setting in your other windows will remain unaffected. Super convenient.

Answer 2

Martin said:

you have to go to Add to panel(right click on it) and choose here Keyboard indicator it should be what you want

..or make one universal and not have to use more keyboards

Thanks Martin, I'll have a look at that.

Answer 3

you have to go to Add to panel(right click on it) and choose here Keyboard indicator
it should be what you want

..or make one universal and not have to use more keyboards

Answer 4

Actually in ubuntu it was quite easy

system, preferences, keyboard, layouts, add+, select keyboard from list, then select as default.

There doesn't seem to be a quick changeover button though to switch from one to another.

Answer 5

Thanks everyone I'll try your suggestions when I have a moment -and Zoltan I'll look out for Dust Puppy

Answer 6

samdie said:

Zoltán said:

May the Dust Puppy be with you!

And you're from North Carolina? I never heard that expression before and I haven't a clue as to what it means!

Tad, the original poster may know what I meant. Dust Puppy is a cartoon character who lives here; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons
It is a hair ball with one eye two feet, one being on a mouse. No body arms or legs. It still can irritate Microsoft. Linux and other operating system users enjoy the daily cartoons.

Answer 7

it is quite easy, you can change keyboards or create your own
/etc/X11/xkb/symbols - there are keyboard files

i ll give you one which i am using in ubuntu, there are: ¿¡áñÿ etc..
and also slovak, i need it (''''...)
it is also similar to english keybord

so change one of files, for example 'pt' and than you will be using portugal keybord but it will be like spanglish

run: sudo gedit /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/pt

and text is:

partial default alphanumeric_keys
xkb_symbols "basic" {

// This layout conforms to a new sk compromise standard designed
// to satisfy most unix, windows and mac users.
// 2001 by Kamil Toman

include "latin"

name[Group1] = "Slovakia";

key { [asciitilde, grave, grave, asciitilde ] };
key { [ exclam, 1, exclamdown, dead_tilde ] };
key { [ at, 2, at, dead_caron ] };
key { [numbersign, 3, numbersign, dead_circumflex ] };
key { [ dollar, 4, dollar, dead_breve ] };
key { [ percent, 5, percent, dead_abovering ] };
key { [asciicircum, 6, asciicircum, dead_ogonek ] };
key { [ ampersand, 7, ampersand, dead_grave ] };
key { [ asterisk, 8, asterisk, dead_abovedot ] };
key { [ parenleft, 9, braceleft, dead_acute ] };
key { [parenright, 0, braceright, dead_doubleacute ] };
key { [ equal, minus, NoSymbol, dead_diaeresis ] };
key { [dead_acute, dead_caron,dead_diaeresis,dead_circumflex] };

key { [ q, Q, backslash, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ w, W, bar, Nosymbol ] };
key { [ e, E, EuroSign, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ r, R, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ t, T, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ z, Z, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ u, U, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ i, I, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ o, O, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ p, P, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };

key { [bracketleft , braceleft, bracketleft, division ] };
key { [bracketright , braceright, bracketright, multiply ] };

key { [ a, A, asciitilde, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ s, S, dstroke, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ d, D, Dstroke, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ f, F, bracketleft, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ g, G, bracketright, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ h, H, grave, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ j, J, apostrophe, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ k, K, lstroke, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ l, L, Lstroke, NoSymbol ] };

key { [ colon, semicolon, dollar, NoSymbol ] };
key { [apostrophe, quotedbl, apostrophe, ssharp ] };
key { [ EuroSign, dead_diaeresis, NoSymbol, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ semicolon, parenright, backslash, bar ] };

key { [ backslash, bar, slash, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ y, Y, degree, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ x, X, numbersign, Nosymbol ] };
key { [ c, C, ampersand, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ v, V, at, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ b, B, braceleft, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ n, N, ntilde, Ntilde ] };
key { [ m, M, asciicircum, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ comma, less, less, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ period, greater, greater, NoSymbol ] };
key { [ question, underscore, questiondown, NoSymbol ] };

key { [ space, space, nobreakspace, nobreakspace ] };

key { type[Group1]="FOUR_LEVEL_KEYPAD",
[ KP_Delete, comma, KP_Delete, KP_Decimal ] };

include "level3(ralt_switch)"
};

just example, you can modify it as you want

it is already night.. hope it is understandable

Answer 8

Zoltán said:

May the Dust Puppy be with you!

And you're from North Carolina? I never heard that expression before and I haven't a clue as to what it means!

Answer 9

May the Dust Puppy be with you!

Answer 10

I don't do Spanish on my Linux box but I do have something similar to what Windows calls an IME (input method editor) for Japanese so I know such things exist. I (just now) tried a Google search on "linux accents keyboard" and scanning the resulting screen suggests that there's plenty of information available on the web.

Answer 11

Hi Tad

I am not saying that this is the answer but try this site. You have to join but it beals with tweaking Linus programmes.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Applications_GUI_Multim...