Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!eagle!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!LCAMPBELL@dec-marlboro From: LCAMPBELL%dec-marlboro@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: VT2xx esc, bs, lf keys Message-ID: <17133@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 2-Mar-84 07:21:00 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.17133 Posted: Fri Mar 2 07:21:00 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 5-Mar-84 01:08:31 EST Lines: 26 From: Larry CampbellI don't know much about the VT2xx, but I do know about the Rainbow, which uses the same keyboard (the LK201A). The LK201 is a very smart keyboard with its own micro. It does not generate ASCII -- it generates what are called keycodes, one for each of the 100 or so keys. And it sends a keycode when you press the key and a keycode when you release it. This is true of *all* the keys (even ctrl and shift). It's up to the box at the other end of the cord to interpret the keycodes. That box could perfectly well pretend the keyboard was a Dvorak keyboard, or that the backquote key was ESC (for all you vi freaks), or that the "compose character" key was actually a META key (!). You can also program autorepeate information independently for each of several groups of keys. The keyboard is divided into a number (7?) of groups, and each group can point to one of four autorepeate parameter blocks. These blocks specify the length of time you must hold the key down before it autorepeats, the interval between successive autorepeat characters, and whether to autorepeat at all. It's interesting to note that while the Rainbow 100 doesn't allow control characters or the shift key to autorepeate, the Rainbow 100+ does. It's the same keyboard, just set up differently by software. Sorry for the length of this -- just trying to point out that if you don't like the way the LK201 works (on a micro - Rainbow or Pro), you can change it. --------