So now that rc.conf was split and the change pushed to the stable repos I have been doing the necessary changes in my system. One problem I have found is that it is not clear how I can configure the system to load (in my case) pt-latin9 and compose.latin1 automatically. This is needed to be able to type things like â and ã. Having KEYMAP="pt-latin9 compose.latin1" in /etc/vconsole.conf will result in an error during boot. Another thing I have noticed is that this change may affect the keymap hook for people that need a fully working mapping, such as people with encrypted root.
From what I understand /etc/vconsole.conf will be sourced by /usr/lib/initcpio/install/keymap, listing both keymaps will probably result in an error that will not be reported since -q is used. Listing both keymaps separately will also not work since only the last attribution will take affect.
Am I missing something here, or have I stumbled upon a problem? -- Mauro Santos