POLL: Do you want to have CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE disabled in Jaunty?

**philinux** · February 14th, 2009

Hey guys thanks for this. ALT-SYSRQ-K

I've no need to mod my xorg.conf anymore. For me problem solved.

By the way on my desktop I've had hang ups that could not be resolved any other way, except of course reisub or the power button. E.g. When ctrl alt f1 will not allow a log in and fails.

**Mr. Picklesworth** · February 14th, 2009

Originally Posted by uh_Iforgot

I really don't see how you could "accidentally" press control-alt-back, especially as pretty much everyone in the world knows control-alt-??? is often a hotkey. They're not even close together.

Yes, everyone knows Control Alt. Exactly! People use it routinely in image editors, desktop window management operations and the like.
Everyone also knows that Control Alt Delete, for example, gives the user an option before borking his session.

This spec on Launchpad has lots of valid rationale:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/XorgCtrlAltBackspace

Something unmentioned here: If you don't want to edit xorg or use the GUI in KDE, there is a package you can install which does the same thing. (I forget what it's named, though).

You have a lot of choice over what you install since this is built on open standards and you can modify code if you care that much (there's even configuration for it), so stop trying to paint this as a nasty suppressive act. Everyone knows that Ubuntu is not forced upon people and that it is not suppressing anyone except maybe artificially, so that argument will not take your point very far. In my case it causes a little flag to go up in the back of my head that says "disagree with whatever this lunatic says." I know it's not nice, but it is my general knee-jerk reaction to lunacy.

The bottom line is that This is Not Going To Change. What you can do is implement a better solution if you find this one inadequate. Please start new threads, new initiatives, etc. as you do so; this particular babble is NOT productive and is exactly why a free software project like Ubuntu ultimately needs a benevolent dictator.

**inportb** · February 14th, 2009

Originally Posted by scaine

Worse, on most netbooks, the enter key is the same size as the backspace key.

On most netbooks, there is another key between the enter key and the backspace key.

Originally Posted by scaine

Besides, accidental CAB is only part of this. The other part was cleaners doing hygeine checks on server keyboards and borking the session. And of course the casual malicious user, who perhaps can't get past someone's screensaver so just ends the session with CAB.

And what about Alt+SysRQ+K in this case? It's as easy to press.

**qamelian** · February 14th, 2009

Originally Posted by scaine

It's been mentioned about 4 or 5 times before, but I'll say it again - in VMware, the keyboard shortcut to go fullscreen/revert from fullscreen is CTRL-ALT-ENTER. In just about every keyboard in existence the enter key is just below backspace.

Nope, I have 7 laptops in my workshop and in excess of 150 keyboards of many different makes and models. Not one of them has the Enter key right below the Backspace key. They are two rows apart in every case. I've been in IT for more than 20 years and have only rarely seen a keyboard where this was not the case.

**Gina** · February 14th, 2009

I have a Logitech wireless kb/mouse and the enter key is immediately below the backspace key and other keyboards I use are the same. All my five keyboards including my laptop have the enter key right below the backspace key. These keyboards span the years, one being over ten years old. AFAIK this is standard on British QWERTY PC keyboards.

As for SysReq - my Logitech also doesn't have one!

**karlmp** · February 14th, 2009

the enter key of my laptop is right below the backspace key

**qamelian** · February 14th, 2009

Very strange because every single keyboard I have access to has the backslash - pipe symbol key above the enter key, separating it from the backspace.

**Gina** · February 15th, 2009

All the keyboards I have seen have the backslash/pipe key near the LH bottom corner next to the left shift key - i.e. 2nd row up, 2nd key in. I wonder if this is a country difference. I live in England and am talking about English/British keyboards.

**ronacc** · February 15th, 2009

the exact layout of the keyboard should not mater that much , if you are a touch typist the enter (carriage return) is ALWAYS a one key reach rt of the home key (semicolon) for the right little finger with a qwerty layout and if you arent a touch typist shouldnt you be looking where your fingers are going ? on the generic keyboard I am typing right now the enter key is large and L shaped so that it extends into the row above and thus the bkspc is just above the extended portion but still no problem since to hit enter I always reach straight rt to hit it and a large odd shaped key is vey easy to distinguish from a normal one. BTW on my logitec wireless keyboard the bkspc is seperated from the enter by a row , must be the difference between US and GB layouts .

**malspa** · February 15th, 2009

???

5 keyboards here. 3 have the backspace key separated from the enter key by the backslash/pipe key; the other two, the enter key is right below the backspace key. All bought in the U.S.