Subject: Re: Using the delete key to "right-delete" chars
To: Christian Hattemer <chris@riednet.tu-darmstadt.de>
From: Greg A. Woods <woods@weird.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 10/01/2003 16:47:57
[ On Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at 21:28:50 (+0200), Christian Hattemer wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: Using the delete key to "right-delete" chars
>
> Hm, what is a "real delete key"?

One that when used for an ASCII terminal generates a DEL (0177).  :-)

> I also have a separate delete key (all PS/2
> keyboards have it AFAIK) just above the arrow left key. So why do you need
> it emulated?

I don't really think of it as an emulation.  :-)

> Or is that a matter of personal preference? (Although I find it
> simpler to press one key instead of two, but one could get used to it.)

I have a vague memory that some aysnc terminal I was fond of also sent a
DEL when <SHIFT-BackSpace> was pressed, though I may be confusing that
with <SHIFT-BREAK> on the vt100.

There are also the various AT&T keyboards I once used daily which have a
separate Delete key up above or beside the BackSpace key just as with
the Sun type-4 keyboard and so I'm accustomed to having some key in that
region generate DEL but I want it to be less easily acessible than the
BackSpace key since I use DEL as my interrupt key and BackSpace as my
erase key.

In any case it's mostly just personal preference.  I hate to see a
shifted key generate the same value as an un-shifted one when there's a
logical alternative like this.  When there's no physical Delete key just
beyond the reach of the BackSpace key I'm now quite accustomed to trying
<SHIFT-BackSpace>.

-- 
						Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098                  VE3TCP            RoboHack <woods@robohack.ca>
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>          Secrets of the Weird <woods@weird.com>