What is the thinkpad-keys application?

[Marius Gedminas]

On Sun, Sep 24, 2006 at 11:37:06AM +0200, Marvin Raaijmakers wrote:
> I have Ubuntu installed on my ThinkPad T60 and I noticed that an
> application called thinkpad-keys makes the volume up/down/mute keys
> work. After running this application, there is a new event device
> in /dev/input/ (does this userspace application create a device?).
> So I am asking myself what the thinkpad-keys application actually is and
> does.

The special ThinkPad keys (volume, etc.) do not send key codes; instead
they flip bits in /dev/nvram.  The thinkpad-keys program from the
hotkey-setup package watches those bits and simulates keypresses using
the kernel's input layer.

> Google couldn't give me the answer (or is it tpb?
> http://www.nongnu.org/tpb/).

tpb is a different (and older) program that watches /dev/nvram, but
instead of simulating keypresses (and letting the user map those via the
normal mechanisms) it executes programs directly.

> So I think someone on this list will be able to answer my question.

HTH,
Marius Gedminas
-- 
If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
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