The upcoming version of the Cinnamon desktop environment is set to enhance how keyboard layouts and input methods are handled. According to Mint’s developers, both the keyboard settings panel and the applet will now display IBus input methods alongside traditional keyboard layouts, effectively merging the two for a streamlined user experience. This means users can conveniently switch between layouts, such as a French keyboard and a Japanese input method, from the same interface.
Traditionally, managing keyboard layouts and input methods was separate and sometimes cumbersome. With this upcoming update, users will have a more cohesive method to toggle between different input types without navigating through various settings.
Additionally, the keyboard applet will now fully support both types of inputs, ensuring that users who frequently switch input methods can do so easily. This functionality will be applicable in both Xorg and Wayland sessions.
Another significant update involves the on-screen keyboard (OSK), which will now be natively implemented in Cinnamon rather than relying on libcaribou. This redesign not only simplifies the switching between input methods and layouts on the OSK but also enhances its visual appearance, making it more user-friendly.
These improvements are currently in development and are expected to be part of the next major Cinnamon desktop release, slated for Linux Mint 22.3, anticipated for later this year.