Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 22:48:45 -0800 (PST) From: "Rodney W. Grimes" <rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com> To: jkh@freefall.cdrom.com (Jordan K. Hubbard) Cc: bde@zeta.org.au, current@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: backspace now broken Message-ID: <199503040648.WAA18595@gndrsh.aac.dev.com> In-Reply-To: <15738.794295009@freefall.cdrom.com> from "Jordan K. Hubbard" at Mar 3, 95 09:30:09 pm
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> > > The backspace key is now mapped to ^? by default, breaking 3 years of > > 386BSD-FreeBSD tradition and 13 years of <deleted> tradition. > > Hmmmm. But it brings back many years of BSD and v7 tradition! > > I remember when it was ALWAYS DEL on the V7 derived 68K unices (Fortune, > Callan, Wicat, Charles River, etc..). I think there are different views > of "tradition", Bruce! :-) > > I endorse this change! Why do people always get these things so confused. The ascii code 010 octal or 0x08 or ^H has the name ``backspace''. The IBM PC by tradition and by label on the keyboard ``backspace'' should generate a ^H, doing otherwise is something that should be left to personal preference via syscons keyboard remapping or xmodmap. What code is generated by the key has little to do with what traditionally has been set as the tty erase character. That is why there is a tty erase character! The use of 0177 or 0x7F or ^? as the delete or erase character goes way back before UNIX, it goes back to the ASR 28 TTY's when the key was called ``rubout''. Please folks, we have a delete key and a backspace key on the PC keyboard, they should generate *by default* the correct ascii code for that key. If people like to use ^? for there erase character they should do that remapping privately. This has changed back and forth at least 3 times, probably 4, STOP it is a political and personal issue as to what character you like to use for stty erase! But don't make my keyboard lie by default, this is very confusing. > Jordan -- Rod Grimes rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com Accurate Automation Company Custom computers for FreeBSD
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