The HELP(less) key.

[M.W. Goheen]

On type-4 keyboards (SPARCstations, et. al.) there is a "Help" key in the
lower left hand corner.  Under 4.0.3c, you could get an ACTION_HELP event
under Sunview if you asked for it and the user hit the key.  We have
written a fairly extensive help facility with these simple facts taken for
granted.

Along comes SunOS 4.1.  Sun has "helped" the poor little application
developer by providing a simple-minded help facility of their own.  About
time.

But since I've already built a help facility that works fine, I'll just
continue to use mine.

But wait, Sun's help facility also uses the "Help" key.  No problem, I'll
just turn it off.  Looking through the Sunview 1.80 update manual reveals
nothing about turning off Sun's "help".  I call Sun technical support.
Sure enough, THERE IS NO WAY TO DISABLE SUN'S HELP FACILITY.  Sun
technical support says "bind your help to a different key".  Yeah, I've
already done that, but that's pretty stupid ("Oh, you need help, well just
ignore the HELP key and hit the FIND key.").

There appears to be no way to use the help facility I've already built
under 4.0.3c and 4.1 via the "Help" key.

As far as I'm concerned that is a rediculous faux pas on Sun's part.
"Yeah, we'll put this little HELP key in, but we won't let you use it
except OUR way and we won't tell you until after you've already had to do
it yourself!!!"

Anyone got any ideas on how to get at the damn key until Sun (hopefully)
decides that they blew it...  Are you listening Sun?  Please mail to me as
I don't usually read this list.  If you are running 4.0.3, DON'T use the
"Help" key!!!
 _____________
/ Matt Goheen \____________
| mwg8908 at ultb.isc.rit.edu \	<- NOT preferred
| mgohe.wbst897ai at xerox.com |	<- preferred
 \-------------------------/