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From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: DELETE/BACKSPACE key paradox on RS/6000
Message-ID: <6687@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 16 Mar 91 20:04:41 GMT
References: <1991Mar11.033714.2598@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au> <1991Mar14.173058.16978@cs.utk.edu> <15478@smoke.brl.mil>
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 13

>I rather doubt that any of the UNIX variants you listed really would
>default to use of ASCII DEL for the "erase" character, as long-standing
>UNIX convention is to use DEL as the interrupt key.

I don't doubt it in the least, because I've *used* SunOS, and it *does*
default to DEL.

BSD defaults to DEL, because the conventions *it* uses by default are
those of DEC operating systems (except for the end-of-file character;
DEC OS's tend to use ^Z, as I remember, but BSD uses the UNIX ^D
convention for end-of-file, and uses ^Z for "suspend").  A number of the
OS's the original poster listed as using DEL for the "erase" character
inherited that convention from BSD.