[Asus Transformer TF700] pinaz:
Linux Deploy update

With the latest version of Linux Deploy, Connect Bot is not needed any more.

Just select the option "GUI - Allow startup graphical environment", on "Graphics Subsystem" select "X Window System", and then on "GUI Settings" set "Display" to 0 and "X Server Address" to localhost

Now first start XServer XSDL and then start the Linux Deploy service

BTW, I am trying XFCE desktop on Ubuntu Precise, it is really fast.

A good idea (if you use ubuntu and xfce) may be to install the package xubuntu-desktop (Linux Deploy makes a very basic installation of XFCE, even icons are completely missing!)

PROBLEMS WITH KEYBOARD LAYOUTS OTHER THAN "US" - SOLUTIONS

I have a dock with Italian keyboard and I had some problems, probably due to some XServer XSDL bugs.

I set "it" keyboard layout in XFCE settings, all keys are working correctly apart from two things (only using XServer XSDL, with other android apps I have no problem with the keyboard):

1) Keys " ' ? " and " - _ " are swapped

Solution:

edit /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/it and swap AE11 and AB10 codes in the "basic" section, in this way:

partial default alphanumeric_keys
xkb_symbols "basic" {
include "latin(type4)"
name[Group1]="Italian";
.........
key <[COLOR="Red"]AB10[/COLOR]> { [apostrophe, question, grave, questiondown ] };
.........
key <[COLOR="Red"]AE11[/COLOR]> { [ minus, underscore, dead_macron, division ] };
.........
include "level3(ralt_switch)"
};

I checked with Input event logger app, the problem is probably due to a bug in dock keyboard remapping by Android (I use CROMBI-KK with _that kernel, I do not know what part causes the problem)

The simpler workaround is to manually remap the keys in XServer XSDL: the Italian keyboard's "minus" key shoud be remapped to "SLASH" and Italian "apostrophe" to "MINUS" (in fact US-minus corresponds to IT-apostrophe, and US-slash to IT-minus)

2) the 102nd key is not working at all. ( It is the key at the right of the left-SHIFT key, that in the Italian keyboard layout corresponds to the " < > " key)

It is a problem of XServer XSDL, because if I check key press events in X with the following command:

xev | grep -A2 --line-buffered '^KeyRelease' | sed -n '/keycode /s/^.*keycode \([0-9]*\).* (.*, \(.*\)).*$/\1 \2/p'

all keys work except for the 102nd key, while if I check key press events from the input device, in this way:

evtest /dev/input/event1

the 102nd key works.

Solution:

We need a little workaround, because it seems that XServer XSDL does not "see" the 102nd key at all.

First, install some stuff

sudo apt-get install inputlirc lirc input-tools xautomation

Then create a file .lircrc in your home directory with the following content:

begin
prog = irexec
remote = /dev/input/event1
button = KEY_102ND
config = xte 'str <'
repeat = 0
end

begin
prog = irexec
remote = /dev/input/event1
button = SHIFT_KEY_102ND
config = xte 'str >'
repeat = 0
end

then execute the following commands

sudo inputlircd -c -m 0 /dev/input/event1
irexec -d

You may put the above code in a script that starts automatically with the X session (in XFCE, see Applications Menu->Settings->Sessions and Startup)

Note that the "irexec -d" part must be executed from within the X session by the X session user, so you cannot use a Custom Script in Linux Deploy (which executes commands as root outside the X session)

So it is simpler to use an autostart script within XFCE

Hope that this may help also other people, in fact XServer XSDL officially supports only US Keyboards, so I guess that also keyboard layouts other than the Italian one may be affected

Cheers, and happy 2015!

EDIT:

It is definitively an XServer XSDL bug. I tried to connect a wireless Italian keyboard and I got the same problems as with the asus dock keyboards (apostrophe and minus keys swapped, 102nd key not working)