Re: [mega@hotpop.com: Re: x-backspace-delete-keys-p]

["Jan D." <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>]

>     Currently it checks if the keyboard physically has a backspace and
>     delete key and that they generate backspace and delete 
> respectively.
>     The patch suggested would instead check that both backspace and 
> delete
>     can be generated by any key combination.  This is not what the doc:
>     says today.
>
>     I have no objection to such a change, it would probably not make 
> any
>     difference in the majority of cases.
>
> Would Emacs be more correct if this change is made?  (Or some other
> related change?)
>
> I don't think his peculiar case is very important, and I would not
> want to make a lot of effort just to cater to it.  However, if there
> is a good argument that the current code is not really correct, and we
> can replace it with something that is entirely correct, that is more
> of a reason to make the change.

I'm not sure I know what "correct" is.  It is a small difference 
between "the keyboard has a Backspace and a Delete key" and "the user 
can generate both a Backspace and a Delete".  As far as I know, 
x-backspace-delete-keys-p is only used to turn on 
normal-erase-is-backspace in startup.el.

For a non-expert user I think the current code is more correct.  If you 
have both keys and one doesn't do what you expect, you probably will 
try the other.  But if Backspace or Delete is mapped to a non-obvious 
key combination that you don't know about, the best thing is to not 
turn on normal-erase-is-backspace.

If you know about the non-obvious key combination, you probably know 
how to turn on normal-erase-is-backspace manually.  The code for 
turning it on in startup.el is not correct for all cases anyway (it 
assumes both keys for w32, but this may not be true).

	Jan D.