xvkbd

xvkbd is a cool, open-source software that you can use for free! It’s designed to give you a virtual keyboard right on your GNU/Linux desktop. This works great with the X Window System and any POSIX-compatible operating systems.

What Does xvkbd Do?

This software is super handy for accessibility. It allows users to type in characters into other programs by clicking on a keyboard that pops up on their screen. Plus, it even lets you send characters using command-line options!

Why Use xvkbd?

xvkbd comes in really useful when your hardware keyboard stops working or if you're using kiosk terminals or handheld devices like PDAs where there isn’t a physical keyboard available. The best part? It works with all kinds of Linux distributions!

Language Support

This tool supports a bunch of languages! You’ll find options like English (US and UK), Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Russian (Cyrillic), Greek, Turkish, Norwegian, Swiss/German, Swedish, Slovene, Korean, Icelandic, Danish, Belgian, Italian, and even Japanese (JIS-X-6002 and JIS-X-6004).

Customization Options

Even though you see that virtual keyboard on your desktop, remember that xvkbd is mainly a command-line program. It comes packed with many customizable features! You can specify which display to connect to and set the ID and name of the window. There are also options to disable resizing the xvkbd window or simulate keyboard events without moving the pointer around.

How to Install xvkbd

Installing xvkbd on your GNU/Linux computer is pretty straightforward! First off, make sure you have the IMake tool installed since it’s needed for compilation. After downloading the source archive from Softpedia, open up your terminal emulator.

Next up, navigate to where you extracted those archive files (like typing cd /home/softpedia/xvkbd-3.5). Then run the ‘xmkmf' command to compile it followed by ‘sudo make install' to install it system-wide so everyone can use it!