When I'm using the UITS shared central systems, why does the Backspace key misbehave?

Note: The Backspace key is usually labeled delete on Macintosh keyboards.

Your communications software determines how the computer to which you are connected interprets keys on your keyboard. If your Backspace key does not delete the character to the left of the cursor as it moves your cursor to that position, your software is sending the wrong definition of the Backspace key.

A delete, a destructive backspace, and a non-destructive backspace are different from each other. Normally these correspond to three different key codes, which in turn might correspond to three different keys on your keyboard. For example, the left arrow may move the cursor one space to the left without deleting the previous character, while the Del key may delete the character under the current position of the cursor. Finally, depending on how the Backspace key is defined, it may move the cursor to the beginning of the line or it may delete the previous character.

You can usually control the function of your Backspace key with your communications software. In general, when connected to UITS shared central computers, most people find it is most convenient to define the Backspace key to delete the previous character. For most UITS hosts, that means defining your Backspace key to send a delete character. To do this, look for a "Profile Settings", "Window Settings", or "Keyboard" option in your communications software (e.g., Mac OS X Terminal, PuTTY).

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