I'm transitioning from Windows to ZorinOS and absolutely loving it! However, I'm running into some issues with the keyboard layout. I want to keep my Windows keyboard layout because I still use a Windows corporate laptop. Typing special characters in different ways can be really annoying.
I'm from the Netherlands, where we regularly use specific special characters—particularly the single quote (') and double quote ("). The behavior of these characters is different between Windows and Linux.
In Windows, I select the "US International keyboard" layout. On ZorinOS, I've gone with the "English (US, intl, with dead keys)" layout. The issue arises when typing words like m'n or 'm, or when quoting something like "this is a quote".
For instance, in Windows, I just type m + ' + n, but in Linux, it turns into mń. I have to type m + ' + space + n instead, which is frustrating. The same goes for phrases like 'm and I'm. Additionally, with double quotes, I need to add a space to prevent it from turning into ¨¨ instead of "".
Is there any way to replicate the keyboard behavior of Windows in Linux?
4 Answers
I have to chuckle—none of my keyboards have an "any" key, so those messages telling me to "press any key to continue" are really confusing!
I'm having the same problem here and I’m also Dutch. I haven’t found a solid solution yet, so I feel your frustration.
The issue you're experiencing is due to the dead keys you've selected. Dead keys are designed to wait for an additional character to combine, which is why it's different from what you're used to in Windows. I recommend switching to the regular US layout instead.
If you're working with specific accents, you can set a compose key in your settings. For example, using right alt as the compose key lets you press compose + ' + for accented letters like á, é, etc. It might be worth experimenting with a standard layout to see if that fits your needs better.
I found this keyboard layout called 'altgr-weur' that works great for European characters. You can set it up using XKBVARIANT="altgr-weur" in your /etc/default/keyboard file. The website provides details on installation as well. It's super handy as a lot of special characters are much easier to access. Just a heads up—Greek characters don't work on Windows with this setup.
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