Personally I prefer this solution on Ubuntu, put it into ~/.XCompose:

include "%L"
<dead_circumflex> <u> : "ŭ" U016D
<dead_circumflex> <U> : "Ŭ" U016C
<dead_circumflex> <v> : "û" U00FB
<dead_circumflex> <V> : "Û" U00DB

<dead_circumflex> <C> : "Ĉ" U0108
<dead_circumflex> <c> : "ĉ" U0109
<dead_circumflex> <G> : "Ĝ" U011C
<dead_circumflex> <g> : "ĝ" U011D
<dead_circumflex> <H> : "Ĥ" U0124
<dead_circumflex> <h> : "ĥ" U0125
<dead_circumflex> <J> : "Ĵ" U0134
<dead_circumflex> <j> : "ĵ" U0135
<dead_circumflex> <S> : "Ŝ" U015C
<dead_circumflex> <s> : "ŝ" U015D

This has the advantage that you can still type the things you usually type with altgr (right alt) - the German-language keyboard on Ubuntu has some characters on altgr by default, such as the copyright sign on altgr-shift-c.

bluemanshoe:Once you've done that, you have your standard english keyboard layout, and by simply holding down right alt when you type a character, you get special version, i.e. right-alt-s = ŝ, etc.

Don't you find it a huge hassle having to constantly use the alt-key? I've never used a method such as this, and I don't think I'd recommend it to others. It's too slow a process when you have to constantly interrupt the typing to press the alt-key! I would imagine that this kind of method only puts people off and then they quickly fall back to just writing 'sh', 'ch' etc.

It seems a much better idea to use the x-system using the dead-key method, whereby you first of all press the 's' key and then this letter becomes highlighted (or perhaps underlined) on the screen - you then press 'x' on the keyboard and this causes the hat to appear on the highlighted 's'. This is the method that I use and it's great in that you can type very fast in the usual fashion without worrying at all about where the Esperanto letters are - I gave a link above as to how to install this using Mihxil's keyboard layout.

Otherwise, another method which I find much better than the torturous alt-key method is having an actual keyboard layout, where some of the unused keys in a typical QWERTY keyboard are used for the capped letters in Esperanto. This is easy to install in Mac and Linux computers. For example, the 'w' might become a 'ĝ' or 'ŝ' - it's possible to set them according to your own preferences, there is also one layout that has become the kind of 'standard' for linux distributions (sorry, can't find a picture of this right now). Ok, with this method, you have to get used to using a few keys on the keyboard in a slightly different way, but it's not so bad.

darkweasel:Personally I prefer this solution on Ubuntu, put it into ~/.XCompose:

include "%L"
<dead_circumflex> <u> : "ŭ" U016D
<dead_circumflex> <U> : "Ŭ" U016C
<dead_circumflex> <v> : "û" U00FB
<dead_circumflex> <V> : "Û" U00DB

<dead_circumflex> <C> : "Ĉ" U0108
<dead_circumflex> <c> : "ĉ" U0109
<dead_circumflex> <G> : "Ĝ" U011C
<dead_circumflex> <g> : "ĝ" U011D
<dead_circumflex> <H> : "Ĥ" U0124
<dead_circumflex> <h> : "ĥ" U0125
<dead_circumflex> <J> : "Ĵ" U0134
<dead_circumflex> <j> : "ĵ" U0135
<dead_circumflex> <S> : "Ŝ" U015C
<dead_circumflex> <s> : "ŝ" U015D

This has the advantage that you can still type the things you usually type with altgr (right alt) - the German-language keyboard on Ubuntu has some characters on altgr by default, such as the copyright sign on altgr-shift-c.

Can you explain that a bit more? Does it require using the alt-keys? I think that needs to be avoided.

Chainy:
It seems a much better idea to use the x-system using the dead-key method, whereby you first of all press the 's' key and then this letter becomes highlighted (or perhaps underlined) on the screen - you then press 'x' on the keyboard and this causes the hat to appear on the highlighted 's'.

I would prefer that automatic sx-to-ŝ switch. With my current solution I have to us ^-key and s to create an ŝ. The ^ doesn't appear doing that. The ŭ I have to create that way: ^-key and German ü creates an Esperanto ŭ. I get to used to that procedure, but I definitly prefer that automatic sx to ŝ switch, which of course needs an shortcut key to disable that automatism.

Btw, QWERTY etc. layouts positoning layout which based at old-fashing typing machine. Also excist the Dvorak- keyboard layout which seems to be much more ergonomic as the old fashion non-ergonomic i.e. QWERTY-layout.

Do, but how to do that at an Asian language keyboard layout? I.e. an Japanese one?

The linked page at esperanto.net hasn't been updated since 23 June 1999 so I would really advise not paying any attention to it. I quote: "ISO 8859-3 (also called Latin-3) is becoming more and more common". How's that for a blast from the past?

Bemused:P.S. I'm not sure how to post an active link, if you copy and paste the link into your browser it will work.

You can achieve that by clicking on the button above the edit-message box, to the right of ABC and left of the mail icon.

qwertz:I definitly prefer that automatic sx to ŝ switch, which of course needs an shortcut key to disable that automatism.

No shortcut key is required. If you want to type 'sx' without the 'x' changing the 's' into 'ŝ', then all you have to do is press the 'x' twice:

s + x = ŝ
s + x + x = sx

The same goes for the other letters.

What kind of computer have you got, Qwertz?

Chainy:

qwertz:I definitly prefer that automatic sx to ŝ switch, which of course needs an shortcut key to disable that automatism.

No shortcut key is required. If you want to type 'sx' without the 'x' changing the 's' into 'ŝ', then all you have to do is press the 'x' twice:

s + x = ŝ
s + x + x = sx

The same goes for the other letters.

Ah, okay. Its definitly worth of trial. What's about the delay between xx? It will wait for next blank space to "decide" to create an ŝ or sx, isn't? Hhm. I will try.

Chainy:
What kind of computer have you got, Qwertz?

Currently I use Vista but I will change to Windows 7 next time. Vista's life cycle finshes 2012 means it will not get any security patches beginning 2013(?). Anyway, I will migrate to Windows 7.

I also run some (Ubuntu) Linux experiments inside VirtualBox machines. But that's only for keeping up to date of new operation system desktop layouts. I.e. new Ubuntu Unity and Gnome/KDE/XFCE etc.

qwertz:Currently I use Vista but I will change to Windows 7 next time.

The Tajpi system from Tommjames is probably a good idea for you then.

Why all the hassle in Ubuntu? Just add 'Eso' from the drop-down box, to the keyboard layouts. Which can then be switched between any other languages one is using by a mouse click on the top panel (task-bar)

Then install IBus from the repository.

All the special characters are on the unused letters: q(ŝ), w(ĝ), y(ŭ), x(ĉ), [(ĵ)

Chainy:

darkweasel:Personally I prefer this solution on Ubuntu, put it into ~/.XCompose:

include "%L"
<dead_circumflex> <u> : "ŭ" U016D
<dead_circumflex> <U> : "Ŭ" U016C
<dead_circumflex> <v> : "û" U00FB
<dead_circumflex> <V> : "Û" U00DB

<dead_circumflex> <C> : "Ĉ" U0108
<dead_circumflex> <c> : "ĉ" U0109
<dead_circumflex> <G> : "Ĝ" U011C
<dead_circumflex> <g> : "ĝ" U011D
<dead_circumflex> <H> : "Ĥ" U0124
<dead_circumflex> <h> : "ĥ" U0125
<dead_circumflex> <J> : "Ĵ" U0134
<dead_circumflex> <j> : "ĵ" U0135
<dead_circumflex> <S> : "Ŝ" U015C
<dead_circumflex> <s> : "ŝ" U015D

This has the advantage that you can still type the things you usually type with altgr (right alt) - the German-language keyboard on Ubuntu has some characters on altgr by default, such as the copyright sign on altgr-shift-c.

Can you explain that a bit more? Does it require using the alt-keys? I think that needs to be avoided.

no, no alt keys - qwertz keyboards have a circumflex key in the upper left corner of the keyboard, and that is the "dead circumflex". this solution might however not be practical to qwerty users, i don't know where the circumflex is located on qwerty keyboards.