566:
65:
34:
238:, H) when the backspace key was pressed. Even if a terminal did interpret backspace by deleting the preceding character, the system receiving the text might not. Then, the sender's screen would show a message without the supposedly deleted text, while that text, and the deletion codes, would be visible to the recipient. This sequence is still used humorously for
387:
they make overstrike actually quite easy to implement. However, the use of proportional-width rather than fixed-width (monospaced) fonts makes the practical implementation of overstrike more complicated, and the original physical motivation for the technique is not present in digital computer systems.
386:
There is no reason why a digital display or typesetting system could not be designed to allow backspace composition, a.k.a. overstrike, if an engineer chose to do that. As most contemporary computer display and typesetting systems are raster graphics-based rather than character-based (as of 2012),
376:
Many typewriters don't advance accent characters, thus no backspace is needed where the accent is typed ahead of the letter it is to be combined with. However, even with such machines, the backspace is still used to produce certain other characters, e.g. for combining "o" with "/" to make
178:
In modern systems, the backspace key is often mapped to the delete character (0x7f in ASCII or
Unicode), although the backspace key's function of deleting the character before the cursor remains. In computers, backspace can also delete a preceding
80:
Although the term "backspace" is the traditional name of the key which steps the carriage back and/or deletes the previous character, typically to the left of the cursor, the actual key may be labeled in a variety of ways, for example
136:
In some typewriters, a typist would, for example, type a lowercase letter A with acute accent (á) by typing a lowercase letter A, backspace, and then the acute accent key. This technique (also known as
904:
128:; a key that functions as a backspace key, and a key that functions as a delete key. Smaller Mac keyboards, such as laptop keyboards, have only a key that functions as a backspace key.
230:. Terminals which did not have the backspace code mapped to the function of moving the cursor backwards and deleting the preceding character would display the symbols
149:
accent). Backspace composition no longer works with typical modern digital displays or typesetting systems. It has to some degree been replaced with the
116:
the cursor position. Also, the delete key often works as a generic command to remove an object (such as an image inside a document, or a file in a
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635:
957:
1113:
56:
one position backwards, deletes the character at that position, and shifts back any text after that position by one character.
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use the opposite method for diacritical marks, namely positioning the accent first, and then the base letter on its position.
157:, though such characters do not work well with many fonts, and precomposed characters continue to be used. Some software like
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The meaning of "backwards" depends on the direction of the text, and could get complicated in text involving several
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246:; in this case, however, the ^H symbol is faked by typing a regular '^' followed by typing a regular 'H'.
52:
originally pushed the carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer systems typically moves the
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The backspace key is commonly used to go back a page or up one level in graphical web or file browsers.
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93:⌫ but its use as a keyboard label is not universal. Some very early typewriters labeled this key the
886:"User Mistakes or Mac Mistakes?, Backspace vs. Delete, and It's Too Easy to Zap an Icon in the Dock"
677:
660:
659:
212:
which would delete the preceding character. That control code could also be accessed by pressing (
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by computer literates, denoting the deletion of a pretended blunder, much like a
141:) is the basis for such spacing modifiers in computer character sets such as the
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89:, or with a left pointing arrow. A dedicated symbol for "backspace" exists as
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365:
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243:
1375:
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1154:
1047:
984:"Keyboard shortcuts for PCmanFM-QT [bug]/[Missing feature]"
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to strike out a character, and in modern computers deletes text at or
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19:"ASCII 8" redirects here. For the eight-bit or larger encodings, see
1296:
1281:
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1212:
1131:
901:"OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Sugar Interface/Input Systems"
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988:
276:. This shortcut has also made it into the insert mode of the
205:
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183:
character, something generally inapplicable to typewriters.
33:
1018:
Switching to the Mac: The
Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition
158:
843:
813:
808:
803:
787:
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777:
759:
754:
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223:
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568:
120:), while backspace usually does not. Full-size
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421:
310:backwards, typically to the previous block.
258:gentleman; he's visiting from corporate HQ.
1114:
1100:
428:
414:
339:"after" here implies on the same logical
923:
921:
63:
32:
131:
1451:
1024:
563:
396:
1095:
958:"Windows keyboard shortcuts overview"
918:
898:
907:from the original on 18 January 2008
168:
13:
564:
14:
1475:
1121:
1008:
293:
268:An alternative sometimes seen is
108:would punch out all the holes in
200:Pressing the backspace key on a
124:keyboards have two keys labeled
1066:
1040:
1031:Chapter 5. Hacker Writing Style
1002:
380:
370:
263:
100:Backspace is distinct from the
59:
976:
950:
892:
878:
358:
345:
333:
320:
48:) is the keyboard key that in
1:
871:
173:
929:"9.8 Keyboard configuration"
226:is the eighth letter of the
208:code 08, BS or Backspace, a
7:
151:combining diacritical marks
68:An early typewriter with a
10:
1480:
1076:. Vimonline. March 9, 2002
551:
280:text editor and its clone
193:
25:
18:
1394:
1363:
1305:
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1231:
1153:
1130:
841:
817:
763:
705:
688:
559:
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328:bidirectional categories
313:
26:Not to be confused with
1074:"FreeBSD Man Pages; vi"
1014:"Keyboard Differences"
685:
353:correcting typewriters
77:
38:
1402:Power management keys
684:
194:Further information:
189:
67:
36:
1404:(Power, Sleep, Wake)
933:Debian Policy Manual
366:One Laptop Per Child
254:Be nice to this fool
132:Combining characters
1423:Keyboard technology
204:would generate the
1464:Control characters
1054:. November 2, 2013
686:
145:caret (^, for the
110:punched paper tape
78:
39:
1446:
1445:
1428:Keyboard shortcut
1277:Page Up/Page Down
1048:"VIM USER MANUAL"
869:
868:
864:
851:
821:
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202:computer terminal
163:Microsoft Windows
16:Key on a keyboard
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1438:Keyboard mapping
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935:. Archived from
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290:deletes a line.
169:Use in computing
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1318:Carriage return
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1265:Navigation keys
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399:IBM PC keyboard
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364:for example in
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294:Other meanings
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228:Latin alphabet
219:
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196:Caret notation
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175:
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133:
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106:teletypewriter
74:Blickensderfer
61:
58:
54:display cursor
45:
21:Extended ASCII
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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1459:Computer keys
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1371:Function keys
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1155:Modifier keys
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953:
939:on 2016-03-10
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308:magnetic tape
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302:environment,
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244:strikethrough
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153:mechanism of
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107:
104:, which in a
103:
98:
96:
92:
88:
84:
75:
71:
66:
57:
55:
51:
43:
37:Backspace key
35:
29:
22:
1376:Print Screen
1324:
1313:Enter/Return
1078:. Retrieved
1068:
1056:. Retrieved
1042:
1026:
1017:
1010:Pogue, David
1004:
993:. Retrieved
987:
978:
967:. Retrieved
961:
952:
941:. Retrieved
937:the original
932:
909:. Retrieved
894:
880:
382:
372:
360:
347:
341:line of text
335:
322:
304:to backspace
303:
297:
287:
286:
269:
267:
264:Alternatives
257:
253:
248:
240:epanorthosis
231:
210:control code
199:
185:
177:
135:
125:
118:file manager
113:
99:
94:
86:
82:
79:
69:
60:Nomenclature
41:
40:
1418:Copilot key
1386:Break/Pause
1241:Scroll Lock
1035:Jargon File
899:OLPC Wiki.
355:it did both
50:typewriters
46:← Backspace
1453:Categories
1364:Contextual
1272:Arrow keys
995:2016-02-09
969:2016-02-09
943:2007-07-24
911:2008-01-15
872:References
409:US layout)
174:Common use
147:circumflex
139:overstrike
102:delete key
95:backspacer
70:backspacer
28:Delete key
1413:Macro key
1345:Space bar
1325:Backspace
1251:Caps Lock
1233:Lock keys
1204:Microsoft
1132:Dead keys
963:Microsoft
300:mainframe
249:Example:
114:following
42:Backspace
1246:Num Lock
1123:Keyboard
905:Archived
351:in some
256:^H^H^H^H
76:Model 7)
1408:Any key
1306:Editing
1200:Windows
1192:Command
1163:Control
1140:Compose
1080:May 14,
1058:May 14,
1052:FreeBSD
888:. 2007.
403:Windows
215:Control
181:newline
155:Unicode
1335:Delete
1330:Insert
1256:F-Lock
1177:Option
1033:, The
989:GitHub
859:
855:
735:Delete
692:Insert
524:Scroll
514:PrtScn
126:delete
91:U+232B
83:delete
72:key. (
1395:Misc.
1218:Hyper
1208:Super
1196:Apple
1187:AltGr
1181:Apple
1168:Shift
820:Enter
536:Break
531:Pause
519:SysRq
314:Notes
298:In a
236:caret
222:, as
206:ASCII
143:ASCII
97:key.
87:erase
1297:Menu
1282:Home
1213:Meta
1206:) /
1198:) /
1145:Gold
1125:keys
1082:2016
1060:2016
745:PgDn
712:Lock
702:PgUp
697:Home
526:Lock
407:ANSI
377:"ø".
1340:Tab
1292:Esc
1287:End
1173:Alt
863:Del
850:Ins
740:End
710:Num
507:F12
502:F11
497:F10
441:Esc
282:Vim
161:or
159:TeX
122:Mac
1455::
1223:Fn
1175:/
1050:.
1016:.
1012:.
986:.
960:.
931:.
920:^
903:.
492:F9
485:F8
480:F7
475:F6
470:F5
463:F4
458:F3
453:F2
448:F1
405:,
288:^U
284:.
278:Vi
270:^W
232:^H
190:^H
85:,
1202:(
1194:(
1183:)
1179:(
1115:e
1108:t
1101:v
1084:.
1062:.
1020:.
998:.
972:.
946:.
914:.
857:.
844:0
838:→
833:↓
828:←
814:3
809:2
804:1
797:↑
788:6
783:5
778:4
765:+
760:9
755:8
750:7
728:−
723:∗
718:∕
533:/
516:/
429:e
422:t
415:v
401:(
330:.
234:(
224:H
220:H
218:+
44:(
30:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
