Bug 84222

Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.2.3)
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages

In KDE 3.2, bug #29105 was "fixed," but the fix caused the Windows key to only be able to open the KDE menu.

I assume that this fix got complicated because of the way X11 handles modifier keys. It seems that applications can't react to single modifier keys being hit, so some trickery was involved here.

I assume that the goal was to allow the Windows key to be used as it is on Windows. That is, pressing just the Windows key brings up the main/Start menu, but by pressing Windows and another key, it acts like a modifier key (Windows+R brings up the Run dialog).

However, the X keyboard stuff doesn't work like this, so someone added yet another layer of keyboard configuration, and it's incompatible, unconfigurable, and broken.

Please remove this "fix" and file a bug with the freedesktop.org X server. This kind of fix belongs at that level, and unilaterally making a bad change like this is not a good idea.

(Luckily, there's a bug (#77955) in the "fix." By enabling the Num_Lock key/Mod2 modifier, KDE can't hijack the Windows key. Please don't fix just this bug, otherwise I can't type use the Windows key to type French characters.)