Linux – Bind Ctrl+Down in Joe on a Linux console

When trying to use similar window managers (xwem, ratpoison) for the first time, I first also tried to follow the setup instructions involving xmodmap to get a modifiier key for the window manager, but then I felt that using xmodmap in my system causes some mess, because in my system (an ALTLinux distro) attention has always been paid to multilingual keyboard configuration via XKB, rather than via xmodmap.

So, I found an XKB option to label the key I wanted as "Hyper", and then used the "Hyper" modifier in the configuration for xwem or ratpoison.

In my case, the option to setxkbmap is:

 -option altwin:hyper_win

and here is the comment I've saved on the occasion of adding it to my setup:

xemacs-xwem uses Hyper, so I found this predefined XKB map (in xkb/symbols/altwin), which uses the WIN keys.

Perhaps later I'll make up another XKB map for me, say, using the right Control as Hyper (that will force my hand to use the right Control--now my hand just ignores it).

I thought it's a more clean way to get myself a Hyper key through XKB rather than through xmodmap (as described in XWEM docs), because:

1. xmodmap configuration of modifier keys seems not to be nice w.r.t. the way it forces one to present one's intentions: one must say something about arbitrarily numbered modifier bits, but I don't want to think about these technical things: I need merely a "Hyper" modifier, not some obscure manipulations with the internals! In xmodmap, I'd need to give 2 or even 3 obscure statements to achieve the result, although logically this is a single wish and operation. (One xmodmap statement would not be enough, cf. XEmacs' warnings (FIXME: insert!) if you map Control_R to a modN; there are some technical constraints.)

2. one is told stories that XKB and xmodmap don't play well together, so that not all X programs will work nicely and coherently if you mix them (I must give a link here, FIXME).

Here is the relevant definition from /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/altwin, if someone is interested:

partial modifier_keys 
xkb_symbols "hyper_win" {
    key <LWIN> {    [   Hyper_L         ]   };
    key <RWIN> {    [   Hyper_R         ]   };
    modifier_map Mod4   { Hyper_L, Hyper_R };
};

A temporary solution (will reset after reboot):

(as root)

sysctl -w kernel.printk="3 4 1 7"

A permanent version of the above:

• Create a file in /etc/sysctl.d/, perhaps no_msgs.conf (must end in .conf)

• contents of file:

  kernel.printk = 3 4 1 7
  

• as root, execute: (use whatever filename you used above) This will put this into effect immediately, and will be set again on each reboot.

  sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.d/no_msgs.conf
  

The parameters to kernel.printk are: (in order, left to right)

• console_loglevel: messages with a higher priority (lower number!) than this will be printed to the console
• default_message_loglevel: messages without an explicit priority will be printed with this priority
• minimum_console_loglevel: minimum (highest) value to which console_loglevel can be set
• default_console_loglevel: default value for console_loglevel

These values influence printk() behavior when printing or logging error messages. See 'man 2' syslog' for more info on the different loglevels.

Essentially, we're lowering the value from the default of 4, to 3, thus refusing to print 'warn (4)' type messages, only worse type messages will be allowed to print to the console. (3=err, 2=crit, 1=alert, 0=emergency (uh oh!))

If you find that 3 doesn't stop the messages, try 2 4 1 7, but really, you should look into what is making your mouse continually reconnect. Perhaps it's not getting enough power? Try plugging it into a different port on your computer, or better, plug it into a self-powered hub. Devices should not oscillate like that.