DEC vt220 keymap question

djdunn · l33t Joined: 26 Dec 2004 Posts: 812

Ok, I'm in need of a beard longer and more grey than mine.

Let's say I get a vt220 terminal? Or a 420? Not sure which yet.

I assume all I'd need is a USB serial adapter?

There's drivers in the kernel for such things still?

But I type with Dvorak, would changing the keymap be an ordeal?
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theotherjoe · Guru Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 393

djdunn,

I dont have proper answers to your questions.
But I tried to come up with some (hopefully) helpful
information from digging around a bit.
The only (possibly) helpful article I have found is the
following:
https://ma.tt/2004/01/dvorak-on-linux-console/
It is focused on the console (as the link already gives away) but
maybe it helps in finding some proper answers to your questions.

edit:
actually, there are dvorak keymaps present in
/usr/share/keymaps/{i386,mac,sun} on a gentoo installation.
never even looked for it ...

gentoo_ram · Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2022 6:25 pm Post subject:

Yeah, adding a VT terminal shouldn't be a big problem. You may want to add your favorite getty process for the serial port in your inittab so you can log in with the terminal. I assume that's what you'd want that for. Or you could redirect log messages to the terminal, etc.

If you do a USB-Serial adapter then you may need to start the getty process later using udev rules if your USB drivers are configured using modules. I have all my USB drivers compiled as modules.

Not sure abut keymaps on serial lines.

djdunn · l33t Joined: 26 Dec 2004 Posts: 812

djdunn · l33t Joined: 26 Dec 2004 Posts: 812

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:49 am Post subject:

djdunn,

There are several packages providing the getty service. I use /sbin/agetty as that's the Gentoo default.
Look in /etc/inittab. There are others.

I'm a dvorak-uk user. The keymap is no problem. Its available in the console and in Xorg, so that bit works.
However, I'm not a touch typist, so I either have to rearrange the key tops or fit stickers to the keys.
Nobody makes a dvorak-uk keyboard. dvorak (USA) has a couple of keys swapped over and the £ symbol missing.

The only place that this fails hard is in the BIOS, as it only supports QWERTY, so I have to dig out a QWERTY keyboard for that.

If you want to use all the wonderful extended features that VT"* you need to tell the getty service about them.
I knew it does VT100 but I've not looked at others.

A VT220 or later sounds fun. Hide a Raspberry Pi in one corner ...
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