Keyboard layout in the installer

[FAlexei]

I'm not sure if this is fixed now, but if you select for example the Russian keyboard layout when installing Ubuntu 23.10, the installation cannot be completed because the username must be typed in Latin letters.

[aluyama]

I got a task to change the OS of 50 devices from windows to ubuntu 24.04 LTS but i couldn't find a way to put computer name and username in same script. So we had to give-up. :(

I also tested ubuntu 24.10. See the attached screenshot. The installer allows adding "your name", "password" in any language but we can't use other scripts for "computer name" and "username".

Language: Sinhala (si)
Script: Sinhala

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-desktop-provision/+bug/2018943/comments/11

@jpnurmi @d-loose @spydon @matthew-hagemann
As far as i can see this is a several years old bug. Can you try to fix this soon? I know you have a lot to do but this is a major installation / set-up bug. We like to use open source operating systems, but sometimes these issues prevent us from switching.

[spydon]

Not a solution to the bug, but it might help you to use an autoinstall script if you want to do 50 installations.

https://canonical-subiquity.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/intro-to-autoinstall.html

[aluyama]

we can't use other scripts for "computer name" and "username".

@spydon My client is already unhappy about this. At least if there is a way to add them manually, i can go on.

[d-loose]

Sorry that this is still an issue. A workaround for this is setting up an additional input source in the live session after leaving the keyboard page. This can be done through the GNOME settings which can always be accessed via the cog wheel in the menu in the top right corner

In the live session's keyboard settings, you can then add an additional input method

You'll then see a new button in the menu which allows you to switch between the configured input methods

I agree that we should support multiple input methods directly through the installer though.

[aluyama]

Sorry that this is still an issue. A workaround for this is setting up an additional input source in the live session after leaving the keyboard page.

I agree that we should support multiple input methods directly through the installer though.

@d-loose Maybe you've misunderstood the bug. I mean e.g. We want to add computer name and username in Sinhala language. Currently the desktop installer doesn't allow to use other scripts and says "computer name / username is incorrect". We have not seen this problem on Windows.

Secondary languages ​​are an optional requirement. We can always add additional keyboards after the installation.

[brlin-tw]

@aluyama

We want to add computer name and username in Sinhala language. Currently the desktop installer doesn't allow to use other scripts and says "computer name / username is incorrect". We have not seen this problem on Windows.

I'm pretty sure the script you specified is simply not supported in any of the fields you mentioned:

• The "computer name" field sets the system's hostname(id. est. the system name that will be discovered by other hosts in the network) and has a very limited supported character set requirement (alphanumeric characters, dash, etc.) as Windows.

  What you're looking for is the "pretty hostname" which can be set using the hostnamectl hostname --pretty _name_ CLI command after installation.

• The "username" field sets the user identifier, which is, as mandated by IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, only allows letters, digits, underscores, periods, at signs (@) and dashes.

  Refer to the NOTES > VALID NAMES section of the adduser.conf(5) manual page for more information.

It is therefore not possible to set those strings to these fields, you need to come out with other names that are within the specification.

[aluyama]

I have already explained the limitation to my client but I'd like to follow up on this issue to see (implement) a solution to complete the installation without having to rely on a other language or keyboard layout.

@brlin-tw You're from china. If you've ever set up a Windows device, you already know that you can complete the installation with the local language and keyboard. You do not have to add additional input sources (e.g. English / US keyboard)

Windows 10 Pro only shows the following steps. It uses this name for both display name and username.

After completing the installation, we can see that a random name has been automatically generated for the Windows system name (computer name). Ubuntu also generates a random computer name automatically, but it doesn't work if we type "your name" in other language.

(Screenshots are in English)

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On Ubuntu, if we type "your name" in English, it will automatically generate username and a random computer name, but as I mentioned above it doesn't work for other languages or if we type manually it shows wrong.

I agree that we should support multiple input methods directly through the installer though.

This is 2024, There are also high-tech and AI technologies in this world. We have no reason to get bogged down in such small issues or rely on a single language. We can easily fix equality issues with technology. I still can not accept @d-loose's solution.

Quick solution: You can automatically transliterate "Your Name" into English and use it for username and computer name.

Then we don't need to add additional input sources or switch keyboards during installation. Now people can install many applications on ubuntu, update the system and do many other tasks without touching the terminal. This is enough for an average user. For specific needs, anyone can add secondary keyboards later.