Regional Keyboards

[mali]

Standardised please, One Layout To Rule Them All. ONE standarrd for software authors rather than ten. Twenty. Or... :shudder:

So, now ED said that they will most likely omit the special characters, and you still aren't pleased, or what?
"One Layout To Rule Them All"?
Don't watch so much TV.

 

[renegadechic]

i think that it will be near impossible to make sure that everyone who has ordered gets a keyboard specific to their own region straight away. its probably been said already but i think if all the pandoras are released with the same generic keymat (fully software mappable) and then additional keymats are made for anyone who wants something region specific at a small extra cost and to be ordered seperately it might make everyone happier. in some ways i guess it is a somewhat unfair situation that people may need to pay more just for living somewhere else but i dont really see any other solution at least with this first batch.

as it is so late in the decision making day, it is too difficult to make sure everyone gets the specific layout they want, but at least going forward with future batches, they could be ordered with the region desired as a part of their order. trying to connect 4000 orders with a further 4000 requests for specific mats would be a right administrative pain in the ass and in the time being, if a generic one is sorted ready for release, the finer details of the regional ones could be completed in the weeks following.

edited for wordfail.

 

[Tor]

As much as I would wish for a keyboard supporting my language it won't work. There are more letters in my language than the measly 26 in English, so to get my extra letters I will lose other, important letters, typically {}|/\ or something any Unix command-line person or programmer needs all the time. In other words, it's back to the annoying alt-gr or similar fn-magic-key-combo.

That's one reason (in addition to the too-small size) why I hate thumb keyboards in general: You lose, whatever you do, unless you're a 26-letter, English-only user.

 

[Monk]

Sigh.

Standardised please, One Layout To Rule Them All. ONE standarrd for software authors rather than ten. Twenty. Or... :shudder:

So, now ED said that they will most likely omit the special characters, and you still aren't pleased, or what?

From those options I'd have to go with "what?". Mostly as in "what is your problem?".

"One Layout To Rule Them All"?
Don't watch so much TV.

Or watch many movies or, apparently, read much.

 

[gbouilland]

At the moment it looks like Pandora will get a generic(English) keyboard without special characters. But I will offer a German layout for sale(it'll be 3-5€). There will be Pandoras with preinstalled German keyboard later on.
We are still discussing, but it'll go in this direction.

+1 Generic (English) keyboard without special characters is really fine by me. Don't need/want a French AZERTY keyboard.

 

[MiniSinisterMinister]

Evil Dragon has commented on the subject:

http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6662

".... Ich werde aber deutsches Layout zum Nachkaufen anbieten (für ca. 3 - 5 Euro, also werdet Ihr nicht arm dabei) und später dann wohl auch welche mit vorinstallierter deutscher Tastatur."

..... Though, I am going to offer a [keypad with a] German layout later (it will be 3-5 euros, so you won't end up in the poor house) and I will probalby offer devices with a pre-installed Geman keypad later.

 

[Eolair]

I don't plan to write essays on a thumb board so I'm fine with an standard international keyboard.

It seems like you have two sides though; The turkish/german/spanish/non english speaking camp that wants language specific characters printed on the keys, and the UK/US/international camp that wants a functional thumb board, without the clutter of other countries' regional characters.

So for the first batch I think it would be fine if you had just two versions. The International functional version and the german/turkish/spanish language version. Maybe later on you could sell other language mats.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MiniSinisterMinister]

I don't plan to write essays on a thumb board so I'm fine with an standard international keyboard.

It seems like you have two sides though; The turkish/german/spanish/non english speaking camp that wants language specific characters printed on the keys, and the UK/US/international camp that wants a functional thumb board, without the clutter of other countries' regional characters.

So for the first batch I think it would be fine if you had just two versions. The International functional version and the german/turkish/spanish language version. Maybe later on you could sell other language mats.

Just my 2 cents.

No, I don't think that anyone wants a cluttered multi-language keypad. They want their very own language-specific version, if at all.

 

[mali]

From those options I'd have to go with "what?". Mostly as in "what is your problem?".

You are obviously not affected, cause you are happy with the English layout. So just let those who think they need their own layout do their thing and wish for it.
Don't waste your breath on sentences like "One To Rule Them All". It's nonsense.

Evil Dragon has commented on the subject:

http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6662

".... Ich werde aber deutsches Layout zum Nachkaufen anbieten (für ca. 3 - 5 Euro, also werdet Ihr nicht arm dabei) und später dann wohl auch welche mit vorinstallierter deutscher Tastatur."

..... Though, I am going to offer a [keypad with a] German layout later (it will be 3-5 euros, so you won't end up in the poor house) and I will probalby offer devices with a pre-installed Geman keypad later.



I've already posted this in post #24 .

 

[Monk]

From those options I'd have to go with "what?". Mostly as in "what is your problem?".

You are obviously not affected, cause you are happy with the English layout. So just let those who think they need their own layout do their thing and wish for it.

Opinions were sought, and mine given. If you don't like me posting then show me your mod status or get over yourself.

Don't waste your breath on sentences like "One To Rule Them All". It's nonsense.

It's literature, and a pop culture reference, and a little good humour in a board largely lacking it lately.

http://tinyurl.com/b8v7qy

If it's nonsense to you I suggest you get out more, or start ignoring my posts. I am sorry if my posts are not boring enough for you.

 

[lucidchaos]

+1 English standard

I think a US keyboard with an alt or compose key with visual on screen options would be ideal.

I have been thumb typing on a Palm Treo for a while. I have to type the character, then hit the alt key, and an on-screen menu pops up with similar alternate characters that I can choose with the touchscreen.

If the screen shows what key to press, it would be fine, or if the touchscreen works well enough, an alternate touch keyboard could pop up.

 

[cosam]

I think the "after market" key mats are the way to go if people want localised characters. Just bang us out a nice, standard-looking, English keyboard to get the ball rolling production-wise. Perferably with the symbols (especially the top row) as close as possible to where they'd be on a full size keyboard.

In the mean time I suggest a workaround involving the assignment of Street Fighter II special moves to regional characters. I'm sure people would get to using Dragon Punches for umlauts and Hadokens for accents in no time.

 

[mali]

Opinions were sought, and mine given. If you don't like me posting then show me your mod status or get over yourself.

It's literature, and a pop culture reference, and a little good humour in a board largely lacking it lately.

If it's nonsense to you I suggest you get out more, or start ignoring my posts. I am sorry if my posts are not boring enough for you.

It's a matter close to my heart for me and I need no jokes and pointless blabber.
It's your right to post, it's my right to critizise.

 

[Monk]

Opinions were sought, and mine given. If you don't like me posting then show me your mod status or get over yourself.

It's literature, and a pop culture reference, and a little good humour in a board largely lacking it lately.

If it's nonsense to you I suggest you get out more, or start ignoring my posts. I am sorry if my posts are not boring enough for you.

It's a matter close to my heart for me and I need no jokes and pointless blabber.
It's your right to post, it's my right to critizise.


And criticise. And criticise. To the point of, well, seemingly endless pointless blabbering to be honest. The issue of keyboard layout is close to my heart too, as I pointed out in my first (and I thought last) post on the topic before you told me that MY thoughts on the matter are unimportant to the point that I should not have posted. Thanks for that. I just realise that I am a VERY small part of their intended customer base - which is, I hope, considerably larger than this forum community.

Edit for PS - I see from:

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showt...46621&st=30

That although you don't need stupid jokes, you apparently make them yourself.

 

[mali]

And criticise. And criticise. To the point of, well, seemingly endless pointless blabbering to be honest. The issue of keyboard layout is close to my heart too, as I pointed out in my first (and I thought last) post on the topic before you told me that MY thoughts on the matter are unimportant to the point that I should not have posted. Thanks for that. I just realise that I am a VERY small part of their intended customer base - which is, I hope, considerably larger than this forum community.

What I critizise is, that you obviously don't want localized versions, instead of at least admitting them for people who need them. I'm always happy to find compromises, but your position is just radical. ED admitted to dismiss special Characters for Germans after the moaning of a few people(Yes, I said a few!)

You get your super duper favorite layout, and now just get lost!

Edit:
And that joke I made is at my own expense.

 

[Monk]

You get your super duper favorite layout, and now just get lost!

Ah! There's the real mali. Don't read my posts, don't know what *I* want at all (or why), don't care, and rude.

Edit:
And that joke I made is at my own expense.

So? How is that relevant? Would my humerous line have gotten your "blessing" if it had criticised myself instead of nobody?

Good day to you sir, madam, or otherwise.

 

[mali]

You get your super duper favorite layout, and now just get lost!

Ah! There's the real mali. Don't read my posts, so don't know what *I* want at all (or why), don't care, and rude.

Good day to you sir, madam, or otherwise.

Did you write this, yes or no?:

"Standardised please, One Layout To Rule Them All. ONE standarrd for software authors rather than ten. Twenty. Or... :shudder:"

 

[Monk]

You get your super duper favorite layout, and now just get lost!

Ah! There's the real mali. Don't read my posts, so don't know what *I* want at all (or why), don't care, and rude.

Good day to you sir, madam, or otherwise.

Did you write this, yes or no?:

Since you seem determined to be hard of reading, let me put it another way. Perhaps we can halt this offtopic blubbering and leave the thread for the topic of opinions on different keyboard layouts? Would that be asking too much of you?

If it IS too much, could we perhaps take it to a new thread rather than bore everyone else?

 

[mali]

Perhaps we can halt this offtopic blubbering and leave the thread for the topic of opinions on different keyboard layouts?

Now you've got it! Agreed

 

[salasq]

Spiffy.

I think basic regional selection is QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY, anyway. Mali will correct me if I'm mistaken, but I doubt Pandora's keypad would have enough room for full German layout (for example). Compose/dead key solution would enter the equation nonetheless, even if it's simulated with Fn. For languagues with more than one diacritical, just Fn would be too expensive a solution key-wise.

By my reckoning, a single compose key would cover all latin ones (admittedly, I'm still having trouble with placing some more unusual umlauts, but that's due to assigning reliable visual clues, not actual room on keypad). I suspect those proposing both Compose/AltGr haven't realized yet that we're not dealing with a full 102-key setup - we can't import the conventions wholesale, we have to make up one of our own, perfect for just this particular keyboard. Pandora needs a good 'default' layout with a config powerful enough to cover all diacritical needs out of the box (after catering to gamers/programmers ).

As for myself - and why I've went from lurker to annoying in a few days - I commonly IM/email in both German and French in addition to my umlaut-riddled native languague, so my options are either writing up a config that supports as many diacriticals as possible with clean, basic QWERTY, or eternal swapping between layouts in software.

Also, I'd advise you to take some care with standardizing the punctuation and special keys somewhat, even with a myriad of eventual layouts. It'll help to avoid some headaches in the future.

I now know that Logo key is off-limits when it comes to Compose. How about Select? Its got a fitting name and everything