Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!willcox
From: willcox@ccvaxa.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: more about the Rainbow - (nf)
Message-ID: <5856@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Feb-84 22:54:10 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.5856
Posted: Fri Feb 24 22:54:10 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Feb-84 00:49:05 EST
Lines: 33

#R:unc:-679900:ccvaxa:9400009:000:1546
ccvaxa!willcox    Feb 23 08:47:00 1984

Re: the Rainbow.  I have had one for about a month now.  I agree with you
on some points, but not others.

> The goddam ESC, BS, and BREAK keys are on the row of function keys
> *ABOVE THE NUMBER ROW!!*  Clearly DEC has taken IBM's lead in
> producing keyboards for the extraterrestrial market - i.e. for
> users other than people.  Try using vi with the ESC key at 2:00
> and a full 2 inches above the home row.  And the backspace is
> smack up against it for minimum ease of use and maximum chance
> of accidental mistyping.  At the risk of being a little fair,
> there is a large, conveniently-placed key with what appears to
> be the intergalactic symbol for backspace but vi clearly has
> other ideas about the codes that key generates - probably something
> that could be sorted out in the termcap.

Yes, the location of ESC, BS, and BREAK is strange.  I have quickly
gotten used to them, though.  As for the key with the "intergalactic
symbol for backspace", it generates a DEL.  Given that DEL is used for
character erase in a number of systems (e.g. VMS and the Rainbow's own
MS-DOS and CP/M), its location and labeling is reasonable.  In Unix, I
found it easy to set my backspace character to DEL, and map DEL to
backspace in vi, so we get along fine.

That objection aside, I find the Rainbow's keyboard to be the most
pleasant I have ever had to work with.  It is FAR better than the PC's
(yuk) or the PC Jr's (double yuk).  My monochrome monitor (I got
white) is also as crisp as anything I've seen.

David A. Willcox
ccvaxc!willcox