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 <[email protected]>

diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ
index 2ee5ec7..a47c024 100644 (file)
--- a/FAQ
+++ b/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
 <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
 
        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.
        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
 
        [1] http://www.ibb.net/~anne/keyboard.html
        [2] http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Keyboard-and-Console-HOWTO-5.html