Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!chx400!urz.unibas.ch!frank
From: frank@urz.unibas.ch
Newsgroups: comp.terminals
Subject: Re: ESC key on VT200 and VT300 terminals.
Message-ID: <1991Apr22.175930.1521@urz.unibas.ch>
Date: 22 Apr 91 16:59:30 GMT
References: <9104172248.AA10611@cwns9.INS.CWRU.Edu>
Organization: University of Basel, Switzerland
Lines: 41

In article <9104172248.AA10611@cwns9.INS.CWRU.Edu>, ak104@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Robert Clark) writes:
> 
> 
>   Does anyone know why DEC on VT200 and 300 terminals
> mapped the ESC key to CTRL-3 and CTRL-3 to the ESC key?
>   I use the EMACS editor, which is a very popular editor
> for mainframe computers, and it requires the use of the
> ESC key. It's rather annoying to have to hit CTRL-3 for 
> the ESC key, particularly when there's no logical reason
> why it should be that way.
>   I could map the ESC key back to itself but I use other
> terminals such as vt100 and AMIGAS, PC'S, and MACINTOSHES
> and it would be a major pain to have to map or de-map
> the key depending on what term I'm using everytime I
> log on.
>   What's the deal here?
> 
> 
> 
> 					Bob Clark
> 					SUNY at Albany

As others have noted: ^[ is also ESC on DEC keyboards. But much the same pain
as ^3.

On the vt3xx series you can change the keyboard layout a little putting the
ESC key back to a position more common. On US-keyboards it's the ~, key. It can
be remapped to ESC. The ~ can be moved to another key, the <>; and those back
to the positions above the , and . keys. Great isn't it?

 .____________________________________________________________________________.
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 | _____   __  _____       Robert Frank                                       |
 |   |    /      |         Institut fuer Informatik                           |
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