Intro and request for documentation.

New to keyboard wizardry, I've just spent 3 days wondering round the net trying to figure out how
my Linux (Fedora core 9) gets from keyboard events to glyphs in emacs.

Started when I decided to move to dvorak. I'm in the UK, so I found the us dvorak symbols not quite right.

I've figured it out using
$setxkbmap dvorak (and changing xkb/symbols/us)
Also by modifying /etc/X11/xorg.conf to use the uk keyboard, with the dvorak option (only two changes this time).

I'm looking for documentation (high level presently) which takes me from the xorg.conf file through to
a set of directories (how are these selected?), to matching files from

Section "InputDevice"
# keyboard added by rhpxl
# DP Oct 08. Changed.  added grp:, dvorak layout
# SkbModel was "pc105". New one selected from bast.lst
    Identifier  "Keyboard0"
    Driver      "kbd"
    Option        "XkbModel" "microsoft"
    Option        "XkbLayout" "gb,dvorak"
    Option      "XkbOptions"    "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
EndSection

through to file gb, 'variant' (if that's the right word) ?

How can I find out what values are 'valid' within an Option?

Any documentation appropriate to Fedora / Redhat would be appreciated.

Second, I'm using a variant of the microsoft 'natural' keyboard.
Marked 'natural ergonomic keyboard 4000'

$xkbprint $DISPLAY keyboard.ps

Seems not to have this model in it's repertoire.

Is there any way I could contribute this?


TIA DaveP
www.dpawson.co.uk