If you use a keyboard that require other language than English you probably don’t want to use x-unikey. You may prefer to use SCIM which is already in most repositories and is, by the way, the default input method provided by Ubuntu (and others distro?). Thanks to Lê Quốc Thái and Max for their contribution to this subject.

If you are interested in improving the Vietnamese Input under linux you should join the vi-input

There is Vietnamese instruction about how to make it work here: http://tapchi.vnlinux.org/index.php?q=node/32

Instruction applies tested on Ubuntu Edgy and Festy, that will probably work on Ubuntu Dapper or any Debian distro.

• first install the m17n modules for scim:

sudo apt-get install scim-m17n

• then install the additionnal methods from m17n (containing Telex, VNI & VIQR). This package sould be install automatically with the m17n modules:

sudo apt-get install m17n-db

• finally, select scim as your default input method for all users in all languages:

sudo im-switch -z all_ALL -s scim

The command im-switch may not be installed. You can install it with a sudo apt-get install im-switch. You may use scim immediately by selecting the SCIM input method from a right click in any Gtk input zone, or simply restart your current X session (just log off then log on again, no need to restart the whole computer).

After doing the few steps below, you will be able to use SCIM in some applications by right-clicking and changing input method by SCIM but it wont work in Open Office and some GTK applications.

• Install scim-bridge and scim-bridge-client-qt (for KDE applications)

sudo apt-get install scim-bridge
sudo apt-get install scim-bridge-client-qt

• Edit this file:

sudo "editor" /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/scim

• Modify the next lines:

GTK_IM_MODULE=xim

by

GTK_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge"

and

QT_IM_MODULE=xim

by

QT_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge"

• Save the file, erase the 2 folders (.scim and .xinput) in your home directory and restart the computer.

• All should be fine

In some late version there was a bug that prevented direct use of backspace (Ubuntu 7.04 and 7.10). Here is some simple work around:

sudo editor /usr/share/m17n/vi-telex.mim

And comment the backspace lines so it reads this way:

    ; (backspace 
    ;  ((BackSpace) (undo)))

This may not work and you’ll “loose” the “M17N-vi-telex.mim” module from the SCIM interface because you will also comment an important “)”. So add a “)” at the end of the “(”\\\\” ?\\))” line:

  ("\\D" ?D)
  ("\\\\" ?\\)))

Then you need to restart SCIM. It may be easier here to restart your whole X session (log off than log on again).

This will make scim talk “telex” in classic mode (meaning) you will need to type the accent after the letter not after the word. If you want to try the version with “free style” you must enable experimental in the apt repo of hanoilug (how to apt in the repo : hanoilug )

Usually, you only need 2 or 3 different languages so just select which ones you need.

• Menu System, Preferences, SCIM Input Method
• In Global configuration, check the languages and the method you need to use

When you want to activate SCIM, press CTRL + SPACE in any GTK application. You can use CTRL + SHIFT and SHIFT + CTRL to switch forward and backward through the different SCIM input methods.