Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!rice!sun-spots-request
From: montanaro@sprite.crd.ge.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: Sun type-4 keyboard offends
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <3690@kalliope.rice.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 89 16:54:45 GMT
Sender: usenet@rice.edu
Organization: Sun-Spots
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 8, Issue 16, message 3 of 12

Having used the type-4 keyboard briefly, I agree it has its problems. Most
annoying for me were:

	1. The backquote key (`) is positioned where the left half of the
	RETURN key is on the Sun-2/3 keyboards.

	2. BACKSPACE is where DELETE used to be.

The Sun-2/3 keyboard is not without its faults, however. I think the right
keypad should be replaced by a VT100/200 keypad, complete with numerics,
arithmetic operators, commas, and periods. Data entry on a Sun-2/3
keyboard is difficult, at best. I also think the inverted "T" arrow key
arrangement of the VT200 is the best. I doubt anyone but die-hard VT100 or
vi users like the straight "< > ^ v" arrow arragement. Above all,
overloading the arrow keys on the numeric keypad keys is a loser,
especially when you can't decide what the arrow keys should generate. This
confuses more novice Emacs users than just about anything else. I don't
know how often I've answered, "Why does '217z' get inserted every time I
press the left arrow key?" or, "Why don't the arrow keys work?"

Skip Montanaro (montanaro@sprite.crd.ge.com)