ibus

ibus [options]

--daemonize
    Start ibus daemon.

--replace
    Replace the running ibus daemon.

--version
    Show the version information.

--help
    Show help message.

--xim
    Enable X Input Method support.

ibus is an Intelligent Input Bus, a system-input framework for multilingual input in Unix-like operating systems. It provides a unified interface for input methods, allowing users to easily switch between different languages and input methods without needing to configure each application separately. IBus handles the communication between the application and the input method engine.
It allows for flexible configuration and supports a variety of input methods like Pinyin, Zhuyin, Hangul, and many others. Its modular design enables developers to create new input methods or extend existing ones. IBus is often used as the default input method framework on GNOME and other Linux desktop environments.

Using IBus effectively often requires configuration through a separate graphical user interface, usually accessible through the desktop environment's settings. Some older applications might not fully support IBus and might require workarounds or alternative input method frameworks.

Configuration options include setting the input method, keyboard shortcuts, and appearance.
These settings are typically accessed through a graphical configuration tool provided by the desktop environment.

If IBus is not working correctly, common issues include: making sure the ibus daemon is running,
the correct input method is selected, or the relevant environment variables (GTK_IM_MODULE, QT_IM_MODULE) are properly configured.

IBus was created as an alternative to older input method frameworks like XIM. Its goal was to provide a more modern and flexible architecture for handling multilingual input. It has gained widespread adoption in many Linux distributions, particularly those using the GNOME desktop environment, where it is often the default input method framework.

imsettings(1)