New kterm version is ready for testing.
I found some time and did what I wanted to do long time ago. The new version removes dependency on matchbox keyboard. It introduces native embedded widget. This may not be so important for end users but it brings some benefits in terms of development, maintenance and stability. Matchbox keyboard didn't receive any updates from the authors and above all it was very unstable on kindles.
The new native keyboard works with old matchbox keyboard xml config files, but some adjustments may be necessary. The old configs for kindles had many hacks because matchbox keyboard didn't work properly. We had to use images instead of text labels and we had to specify precise sizes of buttons.
In the bundled config that I tested on Kindle Touch I left only few image labels. For most keys I use normal text labels. I have no idea how it will look on Paperwhite (or if it will start at all as there were some problems with different libraries). I will be glad to hear any feedback on that.
If there is a need for separate layout for different Kindles I suggest to start customizations with the bundled one, not any of the old hacked layouts.
The new kterm at last supports screen rotation. I couldn't make this work reliably with matchbox keyboard.
I also added a command line option to set env variables.
It should also fix the problems with missing TERMINFO. Now bundled.
More info, source and packages for kindle on kterm's github page:
https://github.com/bfabiszewski/kterm