I burned tails 0.12.1 ISO onto a DVD and booted my PC with it.
I chose Windows XP camouflage.
I clicked "System" --> "Preferences" --> "Input Method Swticher" --> "SCIM via xim (scim)"
After clicking the "OK" button, I received the following message:
Please read /usr/share/doc/im-switch/readme.debian.gz
User configuration.
Use SCIM via xim (scim) enabled for en-US.
Restart the X session to activate the selected input method.
Question #1: What does X stand for? What is the meaning of X session?
Question #2: How do I restart the X session? (Well, I rebooted my PC and after Tails had successfully launched, I noticed that my previous configuration of SCIM had disappeared.
X is the name for the suite of sotware which routes signals around your computer. For example, Keyboard signals from whichever keyboard you're typing on to whichever app you hapen to be typing into at the time, the video signals from that app's video output must be directed to whatever windowing enviroment on whatever monitor you happen to be viweing said app, etc...
Perhaps it's easiest to think of X as your computer's switchboard.
X is a vital "engine-room" component of Tails and just about every other *nix OS there is. X even has its own website! You can read all about X there at x.org if you're interested. Hopefully it won't be long before it's replaced by Weyland!.. a different suite with the same function... but that's another story ;-)
Your "X session" is merely the period in which you've been using X since starting it.
No, rebooting won't help although you have the right idea. Tails is a live OS, so as you found, while rebooting does indeed result in a new X session it also wipes out all the configuration changes you've made. :-(
The usual methods for re-starting X are either to "log out" or use the "kill X" shortcut: [ctrl] + [alt] + [<Bksp]
I remember there's no "logout" option in the current release of Tails, so that's no use at the moment but, not being in a Tails session at the moment I can't test the shortcut for you. Be careful not to have anything important/unsaved running as at the very least, restarting X will terminate all the sessions dependant apps... and I have a sneaking suspicion that, if it does anything at all, the shortcut might have been reprogrammed to initiate Tails' emergency secure shutdown ;-)
A final thought, if none of the above is any use, you could try this:
Let us know how you get on... if none of that works for you I, and probably others, will dig around a bit
Thanks a lot for your brief introduction to X-session and tips on how to restart an X-session.
Here's the feedback:
Your first suggestion to issue Control+Alt+Backspace did not work at all.
Next, I clicked "Accessories" --> "Root Terminal". In the "Root Terminal" window, I issued the command sudo killall x-session-manager. (To be able to issue commands in the "Root Terminal" windows, one has to have provided a password at the launch of Tails OS)
The OS and its applications appeared to shut down. But no, Tails simply logged off and I went through the routine of choosing more options and activating the Windows XP camouflage. Users would do well to remember to input a password for carrying out administrative tasks.
I checked the settings that I had made in SCIM input method and discovered that all were preserved. None had been reset to nil.
I was able to start typing Chinese characters.
Hurray!