CachyOS: Why does CachyOS not natively detect the Framework German keyboard?

Framework Laptop 16 Linux
1

Why is the German keyboard layout on a Framework Laptop 16 not automatically detected in the CachyOS Live ISO or during the installation process?

I’m aware that I can manually change the keyboard layout, but since CachyOS is supported by Framework, I would have expected the hardware’s keyboard layout to be detected automatically.

Is there a technical limitation that prevents CachyOS from detecting the correct keyboard layout on Framework laptops, or could support for the different regional keyboard layouts be added?

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I don’t think keyboard layouts are automatically detected ever, maybe ignoring some rare vendor specific solutions. There’s just no prototol for that. Usually the system installer guesses your location based on your IP address or something and then selects the local layout by default.

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from what I have seen in logs, it does not appear that there is any information provided. i have logged a support ticket with frame.work.

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Yeah, I have to agree. I really do not believe “auto-detecting” Keyboard languages is even a thing, which can be done.

You see, different languages aren’t different hardware, at least for ISO layouts. All ISO keyboards are the same keyboard hardware, just with different letters are printed on the keys. And it isn’t a Framwork thing, or a laptop thing, it’s just how keyboard have always worked. Keyboard do not send the letters you type, they send generic keycodes which corresponds to the key location. It’s entirely up to the OS to decide what letter or other symbol to interpret each keycode as. A computer designed to be sold only in Germany might come with a version of windows which just assumes the keyboard is German and auto selects the language based on the assumption, but the keyboard, that isn’t German as far as any computer can see.

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There is nothing special about a german keyboard other than the writing on the keys, keyboard layouts are an os thing that turns the keyboard scancodes into their language speciffic key presses.

With the 16 something like that could be implemented as framework has control over the firmware on the keyboard and to an extent the os but it would be entirely a custom thing and probably not worth it, on the 13 and 12 it would not be possible at all as the only difference is the physical keyboard itself and the ec that handles that has no idea what language that is.

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Yes, I was hoping that since those are their USB-devices that they would be able to put it into firmware.

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That would be some turbo custom stuff I have not seen or heard of being done before. It’s just not how keyboards work.

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