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geekhack Community => Ergonomics => Topic started by: bonheur on Tue, 26 April 2011, 11:30:15

Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: bonheur on Tue, 26 April 2011, 11:30:15
Hey guys!

I'd like to know wich keyboard layout do you think is the best suited to write in the following four languages on a regular basis: Catalan, English, Spanish, and French.

This means having easy access to characters like: Ç, Ñ, · (interpunct; not .), À, Á, È, É, Ê, €, $, ~, &, ^, º, among many others. I seldom use the "¿" and "¡" (inverted !) so I could avoid those.

Back before learning those languages I was told to go buy a "traditional spanish" keyboard and so I did since then. But reading the Wikipedia page on keyboard layouts I found the following layouts:

Standard layout:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/51/KB_United_States-NoAltGr.svg/800px-KB_United_States-NoAltGr.svg.png)

Standard International layout:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/KB_US-International.svg/800px-KB_US-International.svg.png)

Traditional Spanish layout:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/KB_Spanish.svg/800px-KB_Spanish.svg.png)

Portuguese (Brazil) layout:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/KB_Portuguese_Brazil.svg/800px-KB_Portuguese_Brazil.svg.png)

Portuguese (Portugal) layout:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/KB_Portuguese.svg/800px-KB_Portuguese.svg.png)

After looking at the above keyboard layouts, I think the Portuguese layouts do not have the interpunct (·) so I should discard them. But I read that the "US International" keyboard layout should cover the Catalan language so I'm wondering whether it's got the Interpunct.

After reading this source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/97738 and this other source: http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/help/keyboards1.asp it seems like that the US International keyboard layout is not able to reproduce the Interpunct (·). Thus, I'll stick with the Traditional Spanish keyboard layout to write in EN, CA, ES, and FR.

P.S.

More about the interpunct on here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpunct
More about keyboard layouts on here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout
Other references about the "US International" keyboard layout:
   http://www.csus.edu/fl/keyboard.html
http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/technology/typing-accents-keyboard.shtml
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306560
http://jaltembajalapeno.com/lang/en/computer-stuffinformatica/how-to-use-spanish-characters-on-an-english-keyboard/how-to-install-international-keyboard-for-windows-7-and-vista/
http://www.mvla.net/teachers/TerriS/Spanish%20IV%20Language%20AP/Documents/International%20Keyboard%20Information.pdf (here is where it says that the "US International keyboard layout was made to include all the common characters used in Catalan, hence I understand that it should include the Interpunct).
Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: Popkeymon on Tue, 26 April 2011, 18:17:11
did you make a search in the OS built-in layouts for these languages yet? they must be built in the system for i18n (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalization_and_localization).
Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: bonheur on Wed, 27 April 2011, 07:34:56
Yes, Sir. They are all available with Win7 EN.
Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: sam113101 on Sun, 15 May 2011, 21:05:07
(http://blog.romainriviere.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Carte-bepo-complete.png)
Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: Zet on Tue, 17 May 2011, 22:36:28
Get a traditional Spanish layout Keyboard, or a UK layout, which mainly have the same keys but legends are different, this both layouts I think, are better than the 104 US layout, and then proceed to use AUTOHOTKEY to make some scripts or key remapps so you can make the keyboard work just like you need. The lettering on top of the keycaps is nothing, what really matter is the key junction, that's why I advice to get a keyboard with as many keys as possible to make it work with fewer autohotkey scripts as needed, and just have enouth keys for everything.

Get a look at the 108 japanese layout, if I'm not wrong, is the one with most keys on, I would love to get my hands on one of this ;)
Title: Best layout for CA, EN, ES, FR. Interpunct?
Post by: edada on Tue, 03 January 2012, 05:15:10
Quote from: sam113101;346861
Show Image
(http://blog.romainriviere.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Carte-bepo-complete.png)


I also think bépo is great for catalan, although you may switch · and …