Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!daisy.waterloo.edu!gcwillia
From: gcwillia@daisy.waterloo.edu (Graeme Williams)
Subject: Re: Archimedes keyboard
Message-ID: <1991Feb25.202045.2240@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Keywords: Keyboard, defunct
Sender: gcwillia@daisy.waterloo.edu
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <1991Feb19.160812.20483@cns.umist.ac.uk> <F12RX21w163w@mantis.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 1991 20:20:45 GMT
Lines: 27

In article <F12RX21w163w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>vanaards%t7@uk.ac.man.cs writes:
>
>What is the point of making the keyboard look just like a PC keyboard, if you
>then make the backspace key perform a CTRL-H and the Delete key perform a
>Backspace?! AAAAARGH!
>
>Has this been fixed yet?

Its proper the way it is. The PC way of doing things is quite illogical.
(Unix systems also seem to do things the PC way, but that isn't a good
reason to follow - Unix is nearly as ugly as a PC. One crowd that does
do things properly are Digital with their VAX/VMS systems.)

Consider: How many times do you need to delete the character in *front* of
the cursor - usually it isn't even typed yet. So shouldn't a DELETE key
do what it says, namely delete the character just typed.

I understand your frustration, I get frustrated swapping betwixt
machines too. Only I view things the other way: "WHY WHY WHY can't IBM
and Unix systems do things logically? - Are they so incompetent?"

Personally, I hope Acorn never succumbs to the temptation to follow in
the footsteps of the mediocre and the aged.

Graeme Williams
gcwillia@daisy.waterloo.edu
