🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: comp.terminals
Article #1244

Re: ESC key on VT200 and VT300 terminals.

#1244
From: frank
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1991 16:59
41 lines
2543 bytes
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?

 .____________________________________________________________________________.
 |                                                                            |
 | _____   __  _____       Robert Frank                                       |
 |   |    /      |         Institut fuer Informatik                           |
 |   |    |      |         University of Basel, Switzerland                   |
 |   |   -+-     |                                                            |
 |   |    |      |         Mittlere Strasse 142                               |
 | __|__  |    __|__       CH-4056 Basel                                      |
 |                                                                            |
 | frank@urz.unibas.ch     tel. + (061) 321 99 67    fax + (061) 321 99 15    |
 |____________________________________________________________________________|
Technical Details
Message-ID: <1991Apr22.175930.1521@urz.unibas.ch>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!chx400!urz.unibas.ch!frank
References: <9104172248.AA10611@cwns9.INS.CWRU.Edu>

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!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