Tutorial for Kinesis

[sam_vimes]

Hi,

I'm about to buy a Kinesis Classic to input nirvana and I have some questions (who may help others, that's why I'm not askink directly input nirvana)
Sorry if these questions have been already answered somewhere, but I didn't find any tutorial.

I have read that some of PS/2 to USB adaptator don't work well. Is there a specific model who works for Kinesis?

And, despite all the explanations input nirvana gaves me, I still don't understand how to remap my (future) keybord.
If, (let's say instead of "z"), I want to put "ê", Ê when Shift+ê, ^ when Altgr + ê, ¨ when Altgr + shift + ê
When I say ^ it's the key who makes ô when ^+o. In france it's a "touche morte" but I don't know how to translate it (dead key?).

So, how do I do that?
I need macro for others things.
Can I still do it without software (works on every computer whitout driver)

I think that's all I need to know (I hope...^^)

[Findecanor]

"Dead key" is the term in English, yes.

You can download the manual for the Kinesis Classic from Kinesis' web site here. It is quite intuitive. In remapping mode you remap one key at a time, from the original key to the key you want instead.

However, note that the keys that are next to the key on a regular keyboard are spread around on the Kinesis, and I suppose that the board you get has English layout on the keys. You would have to compare the English and French key maps. For instance, what symbol does the '[' key on a regular English keyboard have on a regular French keyboard? Then that is the symbol that the '[' key on the Kinesis will produce.

[sam_vimes]

Thank you for your answer, Findecanor.

I have already read the manual.
The problem is that I don't have the original key. I want to creat this key.
I totally understand how to move a key, but not how to create one.

I feel stupid... Do you mean when I will plug the kinesis to my computer it will be in azerty? it will adapt to my preferences of language?
So if I want to use a modified bépo, I will need to download it and modified it by myself at home AND at work?
And I wouldn't be able to use the keyboard of my laptop in azerty (in the same time)?

I thought that the kinesis remember remaping, but only if the same language is installed?

[sordna]

sam_vimes, you cannot create a key that isn't already defined in the keyboard, I don't think any keyboard can do that. You can only rearrange positions of existing physical keys, and the keyboard will remember up to 2 arrangements (one in the normal layer, one in the keypad layer).

For international characters, you need to load a language keymap on your computer that contains these characters.

However, if the language you load on the computer converts your "Q" key to a "Ě"" as an example, if you move your "Q" key to some other position on the Kinesis, it will produce the "Ě" character on the new location, but only when that particular language is loaded on your computer.

Now since some of the international characters may need multiple key presses such as "AltGr ; shift ' enter" (again an imaginary example) you can define macros on the Kinesis to reduce the number of keystrokes you need to make to produce these characters. For example you can make ctrl+q on the Kinesis produce AltGR+Shift+' followed by O followed by E.

[sam_vimes]

Thank you Sordna, everything is clear now!