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From: KFL@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch")
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Re: Keyboards
Message-ID: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].830853.860225.KFL>
Date: Tue, 25-Feb-86 23:13:33 EST
Article-I.D.: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].830853.860225.KFL>
Posted: Tue Feb 25 23:13:33 1986
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    From: decwrl!amdcad!phil@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Phil Ngai)

    Control-space has ALWAYS been a null in DEC's world. ...
    (I must admit I find control-space very convenient in emacs for marking.)

  It may be convenient (though I don't find it so), but it sure makes it
hard to teach.  Many times users have asked me why Emacs was not
responding to the control-@ command.  Pressing control-@ doesn't do
anything on a VT100 keyboard.  And changing the documentation to claim
that the command is control-space wouldn't be useful, as most of our
terminals are non-DEC, on which control-@ is a control-@.  The only
solution is to tell user that on DEC terminals, control-@ is generated
by pressing control-space.  An additional complication that novice
Emacs users should NOT have to deal with.
  Similar problems with generating control-\, control-], control-^,
and control-_, all of which are important Emacs commands.
  Many users simply avoid using any DEC terminals, even if they have
to wait in line for other terminals.
  VT200 style keyboards are not an issue for us, since it was decided
before the VT200 came out that we would stop buying DEC terminals.
  I don't think it is too much to ask that DEC terminals have a setup
parameter to switch the control keys into their proper positions as a
user option.
								...Keith