barry@adelie.UUCP (Barry A. Burke) (01/26/86)
>Anyone know of a plug in replacement for vt220 terminal keyboards? HEAR-HEAR! >This new keyboard should correct the insane placement of the >important keys used in editing: >* The "Compose Key" could be removed or put on that useless top row. >* Put the LOCK key somewhere that is not between my pinky and the control key. >* Make the control key bigger. >* Put the Escape Key back where it belongs, to the left of the 1 key. >* Bring back the backspace and linefeed keys. * Put the "<" & ">" back over the "," & "." where they belong (we're Programmers, NOT secretaries!) And while we're griping- WHY (oh WHY) do all the function key sequences have to end with "~"? Makes it a pain to code dispatch tables (eg. for Emacs) [I know it's not a keyboard problem, but....] Still waiting for an Intelligent Terminal... barry -- LIVE: Barry A. Burke, (617) 965-8480 x26 USPS: Adelie Corporation, 288 Walnut St., Newtonville, MA 02160 UUCP: ..!{harvard | decvax!linus!axiom}!adelie!barry ARPA: adelie!barry@harvard.HARVARD.EDU, barry%adelie.UUCP@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
jbs@mit-eddie.UUCP (Jeff Siegal) (01/29/86)
In article <6900002@datacube.UUCP> berger@datacube.UUCP writes: > >Anyone know of a plug in replacement for vt220 terminal keyboards? > >The vt220 is a wonderful terminal, the problem is the brain-damaged >keyboard. It is allegedly ergonomic, but I think they used extra-terrestrials >for the metric studies! > >No, I'm not interested in other terminals that emulate vt220's but have >different keyboards. I want a keyboard that will plug into a DEC vt220 >where the DEC keyboard plugs in. > >This new keyboard should correct the insane placement of the >important keys used in editing: >* The "Compose Key" could be removed or put on that useless top row. >* Put the LOCK key somewhere that is not between my pinky and the control key. >* Make the control key bigger. >* Put the Escape Key back where it belongs, to the left of the 1 key. >* Bring back the backspace and linefeed keys. > >Who are these people who must be so out of touch with reality to create >such an impractical keyboard? Why hasn't DEC at least brought out an >optional keyboard that corrects these errors? It is supposedly a creation of the ISO, or some similar international (or possibly just European) standards association. Rumor has it that DEC is about to release a new terminal (VT221?????) which has a keyboard with the (mis)features you request. It is intended to provide an easier replacement for VT100's. Since, the current keyboard is available separately, perhaps the new one will be as well, and perhaps it will be plug-compatible with the current keyboard. Jeff Siegal - MIT EECS (jbs@mit-eddie.UUCP or jbs@EDDIT.MIT.EDU)
page@ulowell.UUCP (Bob Page) (02/11/86)
I've been bitching about this for a while too. At UniForum, I played
with a HDS terminal that emulated a VT220. Keys in the right place.
Compose key to the lower left of the left SHIFT key. Real programmable
keys (they don't have to be shifted!). Four pages of memory. And a
better feel, in my opinion. The salesman didn't think the keyboard
was directly replaceable, though. $995 list, green or amber.
I also saw a WYSE vt220 emulator with the keys in the 'right' places.
Don't know much else about it though.
DEC supposedly has a vt230 due soon, which is a vt220 with a new
'standard' keyboard.
I didn't do any tests for escape-mode compatibility with vt220
software, but under UNIX (with term{cap,info}) it shouldn't be much of
a bother anyway.
Digital Review's Feb '86 ish has a pseudo-profile in vt220 compats,
and offers a nitty gritty, 150 page report on 17 units for $495.
I haven't done any serious looking, but I suspect that nobody will offer
keyboard replacements, save DEC.
..Bob
--
UUCP: wanginst!ulowell!page Bob Page
ARPA: page@ulowell.CSNET University of Lowell
BIX: page Computer Science Dept
VOX: +1 617 452 5000 x2233 Lowell MA 01854 USAberger@datacube.UUCP (10/22/86)
Anyone know of a plug in replacement for vt220 terminal keyboards?
The vt220 is a wonderful terminal, the problem is the brain-damaged
keyboard. It is allegedly ergonomic, but I think they used extra-terrestrials
for the metric studies!
No, I'm not interested in other terminals that emulate vt220's but have
different keyboards. I want a keyboard that will plug into a DEC vt220
where the DEC keyboard plugs in.
This new keyboard should correct the insane placement of the
important keys used in editing:
* The "Compose Key" could be removed or put on that useless top row.
* Put the LOCK key somewhere that is not between my pinky and the control key.
* Make the control key bigger.
* Put the Escape Key back where it belongs, to the left of the 1 key.
* Bring back the backspace and linefeed keys.
Who are these people who must be so out of touch with reality to create
such an impractical keyboard? Why hasn't DEC at least brought out an
optional keyboard that corrects these errors?
Bob Berger
Datacube Inc. 4 Dearborn Rd. Peabody, Ma 01960 617-535-6644
ihnp4!datacube!berger
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