Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!pyramid!leadsv!laic!nova!darin
From: darin@nova.laic.uucp (Darin Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: keyboards (was Re: Don't Bash Suns)
Message-ID: <349@laic.UUCP>
Date: 29 Sep 88 21:49:24 GMT
References: <278@itcatl.UUCP> <3284@edm.UUCP>
Sender: news@laic.UUCP
Reply-To: darin@nova.UUCP (Darin Johnson)
Organization: Lockheed AI Center, Menlo Park
Lines: 26

Speaking of silly layouts etc., my most annoying terminal is
the vt200 series (which I use 99% of the time).  First off,
it looks nice, has a detached keyboard, doesn't hog your
desk, keys have a nice feel, etc.  However, DEC, in their
omniscience, decided to not have an escape key.  In vt100
emulation mode, you can have an escape key, but it is above
the "-" key of all places.  In vt200 mode, you don't have an
escape key at all!!  (presumably, since no VAX/VMS products
use an ESC, they figured no-one would miss it)

When I log in remotely to my Suns, I type Control-[ to get
an ESC.  I am so used to that, that I even use that sequence
when logged in on the Sun console or on my computer at home.
This gets embarassing when people look over my shoulder ("I don't
know what strange sequence you typed, but I use ESC myself").

(also, the '<', '>' are typed by the left pinky, the Caps-Lock is
where the Ctrl key should be, etc.)

I have seen vt220 clones with these "problems" fixed.  I imagine
these would make nice terminals, if only my company wasn't so
scared about buying non-DEC.

Darin Johnson (...pyramid.arpa!leadsv!laic!darin)
              (...ucbvax!sun!sunncal!leadsv!laic!darin)
	"All aboard the DOOMED express!"