Subject: Re: An old unix Issue the Delete key how do you fix it
To: None <netbsd-help@netbsd.org>
From: Dieter <netbsd@sopwith.solgatos.com>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 05/05/2007 15:43:38
> > Now... how do we fix programs suffering from this
> > "delete-right" brain damage so that the "Delete" key
> > does the correct "delete-left" function? I'm thinking
> > mainly of web browsers like links -g and mozilla.
> >
> > (On an X terminal talking via Ethernet, presumably no
> > wscons involved.)
>
> F that's really what you want, probably then remap the Delete key to
> Backspace.
But then pressing "Delete" in emacs would bring up help.
> The key point is that in the old days there was a delete key
> that sent ASCII DEL.
Exactly.
> But if you're on a PC, then in firefox etc. the backspace key will
> delete left, and you can ignore the Delete key, and that's pretty much
> the right thing even though the keys are mislabled.
Broken broken broken
In theory, we should have:
"backspace" -> move cursor one position to the left. Do not draw anything. Do not erase/delete.
"delete" -> move cursor one position to the left, deleting (erasing) whatever was there.
I can usually live with the backspace key acting like delete, since the
leftarrow key usually provides the backspace function.
> If that's not enough help, then please explain what kind of keyboard you
> are using, what platform, what kind of xmodmap you have to start with,
> and what key you are pushing and what it does that you don't like.
NCD X terminal with "101" keyboard, talking via Ethernet.
"Backspace" key sends BS, the same as ^H (that's fine)
"Delete" key sends DEL (duh). Works correctly in emacs.
(Actually FreeBSD's emacs port is broken, but this is a NetBSD list
so we'll ignore that here.)
But in a web browser, like links -g, the "Delete" key erases to
the right instead of to the left. This is EVIL and needs to be fixed.
Hmmmm awhile back I had to add
XTerm.vt100.deleteIsDEL: true
to
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/XTerm
after someone broke xterm. :-(
Is there some global make-DEL-work-correctly flag for everything in X11?