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Add info about Backspace and Delete to the FAQ

Here is a modest attempt at cleaning it up a little bit. I changed a
few phrases that seemed awkward, but I think the content is the same.

--
Wolfgang Corcoran-Mathe

Signed-off-by: Roberto E. Vargas Caballero <k0ga@shike2.com>
Wolfgang Corcoran-Mathe před 10 roky
rodič
revize
e8f3513bf4
1 změnil soubory, kde provedl 43 přidání a 44 odebrání
  1. 43 44
      FAQ

+ 43 - 44
FAQ

@@ -104,54 +104,53 @@ This is an issue that was discussed in suckless mailing list
 <http://lists.suckless.org/dev/1404/20697.html>:
 
 	Well, I am going to comment why I want to change the behaviour
-	of this key. When ascii was defined in 1968 communication
-	with computers were done using punched cards, or hardcopy
-	terminals (basically a typewritter machine connected with
-	the computer using a serial port). Due to this, ascii defines
-	DELETE as 7F, because in the puched cards, it means all the
-	holes of the card punched, so it is a kind of 'phisical
-	delete'. In the same way, BACKSPACE key was a non destructive
-	back space, as in typewriter machines.  So, if you wanted
-	to delete a character, you had to BACKSPACE and then DELETE.
-	Other use of BACKSPACE was accented characters, for example
-	'a BACKSPACE `'. The VT100 had no BACKSPACE key, it was
-	generated using the CONTROL key as another control character
-	(CONTROL key sets to 0 b7 b6 b5, so it converts H (code
-	0x48) into BACKSPACE (code 0x08)), but it had a DELETE key
-	in a similar position where BACKSPACE key is located today
-	in common PC keyboards. All the terminal emulators emulated
-	correctly the difference between these keys, and backspace
-	key generated a BACKSPACE (^H) and delete key generated a
-	DELETE (^?).
-
-	But the problem arised when Linus Torvald wrote Linux, and
-	he did that the virtual terminal (the terminal emulator
-	integrated in the kernel) returns a DELETE when backspace
-	was pressed, due to the fact of the key in that position
-	in VT100 was a delete key. This created a lot of problems
-	(you can see it in [1] and [2]), and how Linux became the
-	king, a lot of terminal emulators today generate a DELETE
-	when backspace key is pressed in order to avoid problems
-	with linux. It causes that the only way of generating a
-	BACKSPACE in these systems is using CONTROL + H. I also
-	think that emacs had an important point here because CONTROL
-	+ H prefix is used in emacs in some commands (help commands).
+	of this key. When ASCII was defined in 1968, communication
+	with computers was done using punched cards, or hardcopy
+	terminals (basically a typewriter machine connected with the
+	computer using a serial port).  ASCII defines DELETE as 7F,
+	because, in punched-card terms, it means all the holes of the
+	card punched; it is thus a kind of 'physical delete'. In the
+	same way, the BACKSPACE key was a non-destructive backspace,
+	as on a typewriter.  So, if you wanted to delete a character,
+	you had to BACKSPACE and then DELETE.  Another use of BACKSPACE
+	was to type accented characters, for example 'a BACKSPACE `'.
+	The VT100 had no BACKSPACE key; it was generated using the
+	CONTROL key as another control character (CONTROL key sets to
+	0 b7 b6 b5, so it converts H (code 0x48) into BACKSPACE (code
+	0x08)), but it had a DELETE key in a similar position where
+	the BACKSPACE key is located today on common PC keyboards.
+	All the terminal emulators emulated the difference between
+	these keys correctly: the backspace key generated a BACKSPACE
+	(^H) and delete key generated a DELETE (^?).
+
+	But a problem arose when Linus Torvalds wrote Linux. Unlike
+	earlier terminals, the Linux virtual terminal (the terminal
+	emulator integrated in the kernel) returned a DELETE when
+	backspace was pressed, due to the VT100 having a DELETE key in
+	the same position.  This created a lot of problems (see [1]
+	and [2]). Since Linux has become the king, a lot of terminal
+	emulators today generate a DELETE when the backspace key is
+	pressed in order to avoid problems with Linux. The result is
+	that the only way of generating a BACKSPACE on these systems
+	is by using CONTROL + H. (I also think that emacs had an
+	important point here because the CONTROL + H prefix is used
+	in emacs in some commands (help commands).)
 
 	From point of view of the kernel, you can change the key
 	for deleting a previous character with stty erase. When you
-	connect a real terminal into a machine you describe the
-	type of terminal, so getty configure the correct value of
-	stty erase for this terminal, but in the case of terminal
-	emulators you don't have any getty that can set the correct
+	connect a real terminal into a machine you describe the type
+	of terminal, so getty configures the correct value of stty
+	erase for this terminal. In the case of terminal emulators,
+	however, you don't have any getty that can set the correct
 	value of stty erase, so you always get the default value.
-	So it means that in case of changing the value of the
-	backspace keyboard, you have to add a 'stty erase ^H' into
-	your profile. Of course, other solution can be that st
-	itself modify the value of stty erase.  I have usually the
-	inverse problem, when I connect with non Unix machines, and
-	I have to press control + h to get a BACKSPACE, or the
-	inverse, when a user connects to my unix machines from a
-	different system with a correct backspace key.
+	For this reason, it is necessary to add 'stty erase ^H' to your
+	profile if you have changed the value of the backspace key.
+	Of course, another solution is for st itself to modify the
+	value of stty erase.  I usually have the inverse problem:
+	when I connect to non-Unix machines, I have to press CONTROL +
+	h to get a BACKSPACE. The inverse problem occurs when a user
+	connects to my Unix machines from a different system with a
+	correct backspace key.
 
 	[1] http://www.ibb.net/~anne/keyboard.html
 	[2] http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Keyboard-and-Console-HOWTO-5.html