root@AA:/# uname -a
Linux AA 6.1.0-10-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.38-2 (2023-07-27) x86_64 GNU/Linux
root@AA:/# lsmod | grep  "ideapad"
ideapad_laptop         40960  0
platform_profile       16384  1 ideapad_laptop
sparse_keymap          16384  2 acer_wmi,ideapad_laptop
rfkill                 36864  6 acer_wmi,rt2x00lib,bluetooth,ideapad_laptop,cfg80211
video                  65536  4 acer_wmi,amdgpu,radeon,ideapad_laptop
wmi                    36864  4 video,acer_wmi,wmi_bmof,ideapad_laptop
root@AA:/# lsmod | grep ideapad_slidebar
root@AA:/#modinfo ideapad_slidebar
filename:       /lib/modules/6.1.0-10-amd64/kernel/drivers/input/misc/ideapad_slidebar.ko
license:        GPL
description:    Slidebar input support for some Lenovo IdeaPad laptops
author:         Andrey Moiseev <o2g.org.ru@gmail.com>
alias:          dmi*:svn*LENOVO*:pn*20035*:pvr*LenovoIdeaPadY550P*:
alias:          dmi*:svn*LENOVO*:pn*20017*:pvr*LenovoIdeaPadY550*:
depends:
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           ideapad_slidebar
vermagic:       6.1.0-10-amd64 SMP preempt mod_unload modversions
sig_id:         PKCS#7
signer:         Debian Secure Boot CA
sig_key:        32:A0:28:7F:84:1A:03:6F:A3:93:C1:E0:65:C4:3A:E6:B2:42:26:43
sig_hashalgo:   sha256
signature:      7C:AB:96:F7:1E:9A:CA:DA:3B:4A:30:C3:38:14:6D:C8:48:56:DB:74:
                C9:F8:14:44:27:F4:91:D7:C7:03:15:27:B7:2C:AF:69:F5:C3:9A:04:
                0A:41:61:A4:80:4F:55:EE:88:03:4F:4C:F0:DC:52:64:53:72:6A:F9:
                C1:57:0F:BD:17:E2:35:5D:6F:1E:43:90:A0:24:9C:BA:DE:E5:0D:A1:
                D3:1A:DB:94:82:8D:2C:A0:A9:9A:74:C0:55:68:A2:6B:76:4D:72:B3:
                BE:DB:E0:CA:A4:27:A8:30:A1:19:13:B9:40:A0:CE:99:A5:27:4E:67:
                6D:BC:18:68:1C:0F:39:25:19:6A:B7:D5:92:B3:F0:9F:45:F3:C4:C3:
                CA:89:8B:D5:47:EF:A4:D1:66:0A:97:D5:4B:00:7F:3E:37:9E:84:71:
                CF:8E:25:32:8D:75:90:36:08:B8:89:A7:4F:76:22:FD:BB:99:61:6A:
                E1:F2:DF:05:09:60:5E:73:5B:7A:C7:31:71:4E:4B:5C:1A:54:0C:B4:
                AE:87:BB:D5:5D:00:C9:C4:D5:B0:CC:0A:83:DB:11:DB:60:0A:33:F2:
                94:38:63:4D:2C:9E:12:A8:43:70:17:0C:CB:44:6C:99:BE:24:00:3F:
                C1:ED:A2:EE:5E:D3:29:66:8C:CA:B3:D5:B6:1F:8E:77
parm:           force:Force driver load, ignore DMI data (bool)
root@AA:/#                                

Obviously the kernel doesn’t “see” it, just like the hardinfo program, by the way.
But it’s already 2 am, it’s time to sleep.

Do this:

lsmod | grep  "ideapad"

That said, here's what ubuntu.pkgs.org has to inform.

That package has a number of modules for Ubuntu 22.04, among them ideapad-laptop.ko, which is why it works.
Debian/Devuan probably does not have that package yet.

Best,

A.

/lib/modules/6.1.0-10-amd64/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/ideapad-laptop.ko 

 /lib/modules/6.1.0-10-amd64/kernel/drivers/input/misc/ideapad_slidebar.ko 

Are they loaded?

Magic? *

Nonsense.
No such thing at work in your Ideapad when running on Ubuntu or Mint.

There is something that Ubuntu/Mint loads that makes those Fx keys work as F100e keys.
ie: not in their default function or otherwise mapped function.

Look in dmesg or in the Xorg log, it has to show up somewhere.

See if you can search/ask at the Ubuntu/Mint fora.
eg: seach for "Lenovo Ideapad 100e F-keys not working" and maybe you'll get a lead as to what it is.

Like I mentioned, my Asus 1000HE required a driver to be loaded for F1 to F12 to do something else (Fn+Fx) to work.
Otherwise they acted as regular F keys.

That said, maybe there is some key combination you have to press to "come and go" from regular F-key function to special F-key function.

Check that you are enabling the BIOS setting properly.

* Magic
What Devuan devs/packagers/maintainers and admins do to keep the Devuan project alive and running.

Best,

A.

At one point between now and the last updates, I RTFM and found where there was a difference between Ubuntu 22.04 and Devuan 4:

/usr/share/X11/xkb/keycodes/evdev

However, when I updated my laptop to Daedalus the files are identical, save for Daedalus having a line about emojis.

That was my only lead, so I still don't know what's going on. I can say for sure that "Fn" key doesn't register at all in Devuan or Debian, using any of the software for finding keycodes. It stands to reason that's why none of its key combinations work. However, in this BIOS mode the F1-F12 keys should default to their special functions, but they're just being treated like normal function keys.

I went through every keyboard related config file in /etc and /usr and the initramfs of Ubuntu and Devuan and I RTFM, but I still wasn't able to find the difference. They "just work" in Ubuntu... must be magic, I guess.

You're welcome.

Right.
We can see that both installs 'see' and 'identify' both the keyboard and the Ideapad extra buttons.

Could be.

Note the process in each boot.

Ubuntu 22.04 is Starting Set the console keyboard layout... while Devuan 4 is not.

Something (module? package?) in being loaded by Ubuntu but not by Devuan.
In Ubuntu, the infamous systemd is taking care of that.

Just in case, check dmesg for errors:

~$ sudo dmesg | grep -i "error\|warning\|fail\|segfault\|fatal\|not"

I recall that the issue with my 1000HE was related to a file/package (eeepc-wmi?) not loading due to some change in the kernel.

Best,

A.

I finally had some time to look into the the kernel log and the only keyboard related stuff I found was

Ubuntu 22.04-1 (Linux version 5.15.0-43-generic)
[    0.740658] kernel: input: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard as /devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input3
[   23.149199] systemd[1]: Starting Set the console keyboard layout...
[   25.390693] kernel: input: Ideapad extra buttons as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.0/PNP0C09:00/VPC2004:01/input/input8

Devuan 4 (Linux version 5.10.0-23-amd6)
[    2.366659] input: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard as /devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input0
[    5.505134] input: Ideapad extra buttons as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.0/PNP0C09:00/VPC2004:01/input/input6

It's been a thousand years since I compiled my own kernel, so I can't say that I am in any way an expert, but looking at this output it would seem that both systems pick up the special keys at the kernel level. There must be some additional software configuration that makes them work.

OS: Devuan GNU/Linux 4 (chimaera) x86_64 
Host: 81CY Lenovo 100e 
Kernel: 5.10.0-23-amd64 
Uptime: 1 day, 1 hour, 35 mins 
Packages: 2066 (dpkg) 
Shell: bash 5.1.4 
Resolution: 1366x768 
DE: Xfce 4.16 
WM: Xfwm4 
WM Theme: Clearlooks-Phenix-Deepsea 
Theme: Clearlooks-Phenix-Deepsea [GTK2], Adwaita [GTK3] 
Icons: Deepsea [GTK2], Adwaita [GTK3] 
Terminal: xfce4-terminal 
Terminal Font: Monospace 14 
CPU: Intel Celeron N3450 (4) @ 2.200GHz 
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 500 
Memory: 947MiB / 3553MiB 

This is a stock installation of Devuan. "Launch Gnome services at startup" is checked in the "Sessions and Startup" window, something Ubuntu (Gnome) and Mint (Xfce) also do.

I'm not really sure where else to look or what to look for, as I don't recall having any keyboard related issues over the years. Hmm...

Seems the end point of Devuan's keyboard startup is loading /etc/console-setup/cached_UTF-8_del.kmap.gz. I'll have to boot Ubuntu again and compare the content of its keymap file. Seems reasonable the difference could be in there.

My Asus 1000HE had/has a similar issue which was never fixed by Debian.

Check the Ubuntu dmesg printout against the Devuan dmesg printout and see if there's any mention of that.
There's probably some driver or module you need loaded, present in the Ubuntu distribution and not in the Debian based ones.

Best,

A.

I don't need to change the setting in the BIOS; I can live-boot or install a *buntu and the keys work as expected.

What is the mad science they're doing to Debian to make these keys work in Ubuntu????

Ps. Loving Daedalus on my desktop. Thank you for all your hard work!