Remapping function keys
My laptop requires one to press the fn modifier to access the function keys F1-F12, while the standard keypressess access the multimedia keys, brightness, toggle-wifi, etc. I dislike this behaviour and which to change it so that the fn modifier isn't needed to access F1-F12 Let's take the toggle-wifi/F12 key as an example. In xev, I see that the toggle-wifi keycode is 255, and the F12's is 96. Now, if I change with xmodmap what the keycode 255 should do, such as with `xmodmap -e "keycode 255 = l", now every time I press that key it types an 'l', BUT IT STILL toggles the wifi. I am not sure what part of the system is responsible for these mappings, and if it is specific to i3, to X, or a lower level thing.
I would appreciate some help or pointers.
It may very well be that this behaviour is hard-wired in your laptop, so that this key disables WiFi on a hardware level. Some laptops (e.g. Lenovo E325) allow switching the behaviour of the function keys in the BIOS, so that you get the special functions with Fn+F12 and plain F12 without.