[comp.unix.ultrix] Key repeat under X

harbo@diku.dk (Klaus Harbo) (03/12/91)

We have several DECstations, and I want to turn key repeat on for some of the
keys above arrow-keys, but I have been unable to recover any information about
this. Note that it is *not* the general turning on or off of key repeat, but
turning it on or off for specific keys on the keyboard. 

- I think that there must some configuration file describing this, since some
keys by default have key repeat and some not (e.g. Return).

Please reply by e-mail.

Thanks in advance.

Klaus Harbo
Euromath Center
<harbo@euromath.dk> or <harbo@diku.dk>
-- 
|  Klaus Harbo                   |                                         |
|  Euromath Center               | e-mail:               harbo@euromath.dk |  
|  Universitetsparken 5          | phone:           +45 3135 3133 ext. 417 | 
|  DK-2100 Copenhagen            | fax:                      +45 3135 0427 |

jg@jg.crl.dec.com (Jim Gettys) (03/12/91)

In article <1991Mar11.165600.3792@odin.diku.dk> harbo@diku.dk (Klaus Harbo) writes:
>We have several DECstations, and I want to turn key repeat on for some of the
>keys above arrow-keys, but I have been unable to recover any information about
>this. Note that it is *not* the general turning on or off of key repeat, but
>turning it on or off for specific keys on the keyboard. 
>
The way the keyboard is driven in the current device drivers makes it
very difficult to do what you want; the keyboard is an arcane beast.

The new multi-screen device driver that will start appearing as multi-screen
support happens drives the keyboard in a different way and allows full control
of auto-repeat on a per key basis; the "xset" command will then allow you
to control each key.  This driver also replaces the current device
driver on the DS2100/DS3100 in Ultrix 4.2.

So the best I can tell you right now is "fixed in future release".
				- Jim Gettys
				  Digital Equipment Corporation
				  Cambridge Research Lab.


--
Digital Equipment Corporation
Cambridge Research Laboratory

Steve_Lammert@TRANSARC.COM (03/13/91)

> The new multi-screen device driver that will start appearing as multi-screen
> support happens drives the keyboard in a different way and allows full control> of auto-repeat on a per key basis; the "xset" command will then allow you
> to control each key.  This driver also replaces the current device
> driver on the DS2100/DS3100 in Ultrix 4.2.
>
> So the best I can tell you right now is "fixed in future release".
>                              - Jim Gettys
>                                Digital Equipment Corporation
>                                Cambridge Research Lab.

Does this mean that the console on DECstations
will also be getting a useful terminal type?

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Steve Lammert          | Gulf Tower           | Internet: shl@transarc.com
  Facilities Coordinator | 707 Grant Street     | Voice:     +1 412 338-4443
  Transarc Corporation   | Pittsburgh PA  15219 | FAX:       +1 412 338-4404
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

jg@crl.dec.com (Jim Gettys) (03/13/91)

In article <0brHrFb0BwwKI8lStO@transarc.com>, Steve_Lammert@TRANSARC.COM writes:
> 
> Does this mean that the console on DECstations
> will also be getting a useful terminal type?
> 
If what you mean is the console's behavior before X is running, the answer is no.
I ran out of energy to do anything in this area, though I did redo how the keyboard
works pretty completely, to make it "do the right thing" according to the X protocol
spec within the limitations of what the current keyboard hardware will do.
(not to mention fixing long standing problems with hot swapping keyboards, for example).
(i.e. up/down while autorepeating will work, and per key control over autorepeat).
It would now be pretty easy to do, however, and the work would be able to be shared
among all the display types, which was never true of the old horrible, disgusting,
messes of Ultrix display drivers... I consider it the best form of progress to be
able to throw away code, which is what is now beginning to happen.  Nothing like
having less code to maintain, and less code to write for new displays, and less
problems with system configuration, as one server will run on multiple display types.

The other major feature is that it is much less work to deal with new display types,
which should make third party's lives very much easier when they want to do TURBOchannel
displays on our machines.
			- Jim