README.md

German hacker's keyboard layout

Why you would want to use this layout?

1. You use German keyboards.
2. You prefer the US layout.
3. You use are writing code most of your time.
4. You use Vim and hate to reach for the Esc key.
5. You would like to maximize the amount of available key mappings.

How to install and use it?

Easy!

1. Locate your symbols directory of the Xorg installation. It's typically /usr/local/share/X11/xkb/symbols or /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols.
2. Copy the us_alt file to this directory.
3. As user, load it with setxkbmap us_alt.

What is inside?

Because the layout file is very concise, I'll explain shortly what hides inside. You can decide then, whether you like it or not.

These are the features:

• based on the US QWERTY layout
• extended with international layout option (uses many levels!)
  • level 1 = the key itself
  • level 2 = Shift + key
  • level 3 = AltGr + key
  • level 4 = AltGr + Shift + key
• Capslock and Escape swap (for Vim)
• 'at' and 'euro' symbols back at their place
• Umlauts are accessible through AltGr plus the key where they are on the German keyboard. Shift will make them caps.
• Compose key (aka Multi_key) on the "<>|" key next to left shift
  • in case you don't know it Compose is pressed in sequence with two other keys which will "compose" a single char
  • see documentation in file /usr/local/lib/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose or /usr/lib/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose
• dead_greek keyboard symbol on AltGr+g and AltGr+Shift+m to enable greek alphabet with default compositions
• some important dead keys have been swapped with their higher level siblings (e.g. asciicircum, asciitilde, grave)
• dead_acute on level 4 key q (think: "aQute")
• dead_diaeresis and degree on level 3 & 4 key +
• missing french quotation marks (because of umlauts) can be simply composed
  • see Compose < < and Compose > >