BTKBD(4)

📦 version 11.0, in nixpkgs unstable

💙 BTKBD(4) 💙

Kernel Interfaces Manual 🎀 — ok so this is the page for the Bluetooth keyboard situation, and honestly it's short but it matters, so let's get into it bestie ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

btkbd — Bluetooth keyboard support 🦋

Like literally, that's it. That's the whole name. Bluetooth. Keyboard. Support. Slay.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

btkbd*  at bthidev? reportid ?
wskbd*  at btkbd? console ?

options BTKBD_REPEAT
options BTKBD_LAYOUT=XXX

So real talk, that's four lines and every single one of them is doing something, ok:

  • btkbd* at bthidev? reportid ? — this is how btkbd attaches, and yes the reportid ? is part of it, don't skip it 💅
  • wskbd* at btkbd? console ? — and this is wskbd attaching on top of btkbd, with that console ? bit
  • options BTKBD_REPEAT — a kernel option, no value, just vibes
  • options BTKBD_LAYOUT=XXX — a kernel option where you actually fill in XXX with your layout, it's giving customizable 👑

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So btkbd is the driver that provides support for Bluetooth wireless keyboards 🦋 periodt. Wireless. No cable. Main character energy.

Here's the thing though — you don't just plug these in like some kind of animal. Bluetooth keyboards are configured using the btdevctl(8) program 🌸, and then they provide system access through the wscons(4) driver ✨. That's the whole flow, iykyk.

🎀 SEE ALSO 🎀

Go read those too, bestie, they're the supporting cast 💜

🌈 HISTORY 🌈

The btkbd driver appeared in NetBSD 4.0 🎉 and was written by Iain Hibbert under the sponsorship of Itronix, Inc. — iconic behavior honestly, we love a credited author 🫶

💀 BUGS 💀

Ok this is the part where we get serious for a sec, because these are real and you need to know them 😭

btkbd keyboards can't be used until NetBSD is fully booted. Like fully. Because of the configuration and connection requirements — that's the reason, straight up. No workaround implied here, don't come for me 🙈
A Bluetooth keyboard cannot be the NetBSD system console. Not "probably not". Cannot. That's the boundary 🚫

Debian · May 16, 2009 — and that's the sign-off bestie, that's the date this page got stamped, we stan a documented timestamp ⭐💅 mwah, go configure your keyboard 🦋🎀

📦 where this page comes from