Re: CVS commit: xsrc/xfree/xc/programs/Xserver/hw/netbsd/mac68k

[fredb%immanent.net@localhost (Frederick Bruckman)]

In article <87n080deqo.fsf%snark.piermont.com@localhost>,
        perry%piermont.com@localhost (Perry E. Metzger) writes:
> 
> Frederick Bruckman <fredb%immanent.net@localhost> writes:
>> I've started an Xserver via "xdm" on 1.6ZI/i386, the erase character
>> of "/dev/ttyE4" remains ^?, yet the key labeled "Backspace" on my
>> keyboard sends a "Backspace" symbol to "xev". (Interestingly enough,
>> the "xterm" with "XTerm*DeleteIsDEL: true" always sends a ^? for that
>> key, regardless of the fact that the erase character in the xterm is
>> set to ^H).
> 
> Myself, I actively *prefer* that key to send delete, and get upset
> about things that make it hard for me to make it send delete, like the
> KDE keybindings...

What means "delete" (with a small "d")???

I shouldn't have said Backspace == ^H, because they're not the same
thing. On an xterm, there's a pop-up menu item that controls whether
the *Backspace* keysym send a ^H or ^?. The *Delete* keysym (which is
always generated by the little "Delete" key), on the other hand,
always sends a multi-character function code (in cbreak mode), but
the xterm normally intercepts and either inserts a ^?, or rubs out the
following character, depending on how another pop-up menu item is set.
(The former menu item/resource is "Backarrow Key", the later, "Delete
is DEL".) Having multiple keys send the same keysym very much prevents
the user from doing whatever it is he wants to do. In particular, with
both "delete" keys sending Delete, it's impossible to send a ^H with a
single keypress.

At one time, Mac's had tiny 104-key keyboards with no function/home/
end/arrow keys, and the xterm had none of those settings, so it made
sense to about half the folks to map the "big key" to Delete, but it
makes no sense now.

-- 
Frederick