At Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:14:15 -0400, Greg Troxel <gdt%ir.bbn.com@localhost>
wrote:
Subject: Re: Backspace, Delete and other keys
>
> You have been brainwashed by Windows. Delete is supposed to be ASCII
> DEL, which is supposed to delete left.
Ah, that's not MS-Windows fault. That was a debate started long before
any graphical user interface was ever built. :-)
See, for instance, <URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backspace>
There the dilemma is explained as follows:
In modern systems, the backspace key is often mapped to the delete
character (0x7f in ASCII or Unicode), although the backspace key's
function of deleting the character before the cursor remains.
I guess by "modern" the author meant something as new as an ASR-33. :-)
Sadly some East-coast folks were no help when they decided that
<Control-H> was distinct from <Backspace>. :-)
And then they got all confused entirely about <Delete>.
Trying to fit ASCII into 7 bits was probably the ultimate cause since it
meant there was no room for separate <Backspace> and <Control-H>. :-)
--
Greg A. Woods
Planix, Inc.
<woods%planix.com@localhost> +1 416 218 0099 http://www.planix.com/
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