Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!rpi!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen
From: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix.sco
Subject: Re: Non-destructive backspace
Message-ID: <2547@sixhub.UUCP>
Date: 9 Dec 90 15:51:00 GMT
References: <1990Dec6.190656.5866@athena.cs.uga.edu> <4443@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US>
Reply-To: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen)
Organization: *IX Public Access UNIX, Schenectady NY
Lines: 26

In article <4443@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US> jak@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US (Jay A. Konigsberg) writes:

| Termcap is the wrong place to look for this problem.
| 
| The action of the backspace key is controlled by "stty".
| 
| Enter: stty erase "^H"
| 
| in your /etc/profile. Note: if you use vi, the sequence will be
| 			    stty erase "^V^H"

  Not a good way to do it, with the control character embedded. Instead
the following may be used, which also avoids a problem with use of ^ in
sh.

	stty erase '\^H' echoe
                    ^^^  ^^^^^
                     |     |_ this forces the character to be erased
                     |_______ three characters, *not* cntl-H

  I think the key is the need for echoe.
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me