Message-ID: <4A292BCD.3060901@cornell.edu>
Date: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:29:33 -0400
From: Ken Brown <kbrown AT cornell DOT edu>
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Subject: Using emacs in a terminal window
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I've answered several questions in recent weeks about how to use emacs 
in a terminal window.  To try to clarify this, I plan to put some 
suggestions in /usr/share/doc/Cygwin/emacs.README the next time I update 
the emacs packages.  The current draft is appended below.  Please let me 
know if you see any inaccuracies or if anything could be stated more 
clearly.

Ken

----------------------------------

Usage suggestions:

  1. For best results, install the emacs-X11 package and run emacs
     under X windows (by typing 'emacs&' in an xterm window, for
     instance).

  2. If you use emacs in a terminal window, the following settings are
     recommended; without them, some keystrokes may not work as you
     expect:

     - mintty: Put BackspaceSendsDEL=1 in your .minttyrc file.

     - xterm: Invoke xterm with -xrm *backarrowKey:false or put
       'XTerm*backarrowKey: false' in your .Xdefaults file.  Once xterm
       is started, give the command 'stty erase ^?'.  (These
       suggestions are only relevant if you invoke emacs with the -nw
       option in an xterm window or if you have not installed
       emacs-X11.)

     - rxvt: Invoke rxvt with the -backspackey DEC option or put
       'Rxvt*backspacekey: DEC' in your .Xdefaults file.

     - Cygwin console (the window you get by using the Cygwin desktop
       shortcut): Make sure your CYGWIN environment variable contains
       tty before you start the console.  Even then, some keystrokes
       will not work as expected, such as the C-M-key combinations.  A
       workaround is to use the ESC prefix to simulate the Alt (Meta)
       key.  If you want C-M-a, for instance, type ESC C-a.

  3. If you follow the advice above, C-h should work as the help key.
     (In the case of the Cygwin console, this applies only to Cygwin
     1.7, starting with the cygwin-1.7.0-49 release.)  If C-h doesn't
     produce help, the function key F1 is an alternative.


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