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From: gaynor@topaz.rutgers.edu (Silver)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: gnumacs bindings
Message-ID: <14655@topaz.rutgers.edu>
Date: Fri, 11-Sep-87 15:59:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.14655
Posted: Fri Sep 11 15:59:38 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Sep-87 18:46:04 EDT
References: <3990001@hpesoc1.HP.COM> <3720007@hpsemc.UUCP> <14653@topaz.rutgers.edu>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 37

>> = Dunno (follow the references)
> = Ron Natalie (ron@topaz.rutgers.edu)

>> Richard Stallman wants the DEL key to delete because it really means
>> "delete", and he thinks that backspace doesn't mean delete. 
>
> Of course, it is stretching it to think that BACKSPACE means help.
> If it isn't going to mean backward-delete-char, it ought to be
> backward-char.  Such is life.

I think you are both approaching the issue from the wrong perspective.
This is my impression of how rms would likely justify these bindings.

  I feel very strongly that help-command be bound to a mnemonic key
  sequence, so that it will be remembered.  This key sequence must be
  easy to type, so that it will be used as a first recourse.  C-h best
  satisfies both these requirements.  Dang, the backspace key also
  generates C-h.  This key's name implies that the sequence it
  generates might better be bound to backward-char or, argueably,
  backward-delete-char.  Well, since a delete key is present on most
  terminals, there's your backward-delete-char.  Because I feel so
  strongly about C-h being bound to help and because backward-char is
  already bound to one easily-typed key sequence C-b, I choose to bind
  C-h to help.  Luckily, almost all resulting problems and personal
  preferences can easily be redefined.

> The main problem with changing either these or ^S and ^Q is that
> most of the el code in EMACS assumes they know what the user's
> keys were when they do local bindings.

True enough.

Silver.

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