🚀 go-pugleaf

I am using the epoch program on a DECstation 3100 and find it
delightful.  I'm an Emacs user and have been for several years.  I
would like to be on the mailing list for information regarding epoch.
I have a preference for keyprogramming and have utilized the key
associations that are possible with both emacs and epoch.  In this
regard I have duplicated below a message I sent to some DEC people
regarding the use of epoch on the DECstation.  As you will see it is
the only frustration I have with epoch and it has nothing to do with
epoch but with the consequence of DEC mucking around with the X
system.  If anyone there knows a work around for this problem, I would
be delighted to know about it.

J. Chapman
(for info: "finger chapman@bubba.physics.lsa.umich.edu")


   Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 19:17:17 -0400
   From: chapman (J. Chapman)

   This is both an opportunity to vent my frustrations and a plea for
   anyone who knows a solution to a long standing irritant that has
   plagued me regarding the use of this otherwise delightful DECstation
   3100 that sits on my desk.  The frustration derives from my preference
   to use the Emacs editor and its X-window implementation.  I am now
   using the special implementation for X called "epoch".  The program
   works well and provides essentially "everything anyone could want from
   an editor" including very flexible key programming.  It's this latter
   facility that has occupied many (~15 or so) hours of my time.  It is
   possible with Emacs or epoch to assign functions to the escape
   sequences of the keys from the keyboard and I prefer to do so for the
   heavily used functions.  My difficulty is that I cannot get the keys:

   Prev Screen
   Next Screen
   Remove
   PF1-PF4

   to output anything at all to the program.  These keys function in a
   DECterm window so it is clear that DECterm startup initializes
   the keyboard differently than the standard X startup.  I find no means
   of setting the system wide keyboard defaults at all so I have studied
   the epoch startup and looked for the standard X initializations
   without finding anything that looks promissing.  It appears that DEC
   has significantly modified the X initialization proceedure and
   disabled much of the standard.  For example, there is not routine xrdb
   anywhere I can find to set or examine the defaults.  The reason for
   all this mucking around with the standard is not clear to me and my
   opinion of it is not important either so I will turn to my question:

   "How do I get the above keys to send their escape sequences to an
   X application?"

   If that can be done easily, I would be delighted if a second keyboard
   feature could also be enabled for standard x-applications like epoch.
   This is:

   "How do I get these standard X applications to start up with the
   keypad in applicationKeypadMode on."

   The escape sequences from the keypad are very useful for program
   association with special editing functions.  Extra copies of the
   numbers are not useful.  As with the above keys, I have been unable to
   find in files or manuals any indication of how to get an application
   to start with the keypad set for escape sequences.  I am very
   surprised that no one seems to care if all these special keys do
   anything more useful than duplicate the numbers.

   I could really love this machine if!

   J. Chapman