convenient to distinguish in Emacs between these keys and the ``same''
control characters typed with the @key{CTRL} key.
- Emacs distinguishes these two kinds of input, when used with the X
-Window System. It treats the ``special'' keys as function keys named
-@code{tab}, @code{return}, @code{backspace}, @code{linefeed},
+ Emacs distinguishes these two kinds of input, when the keyboard
+reports these keys to Emacs. It treats the ``special'' keys as function
+keys named @code{tab}, @code{return}, @code{backspace}, @code{linefeed},
@code{escape}, and @code{delete}. These function keys translate
automatically into the corresponding ASCII characters @emph{if} they
have no bindings of their own. As a result, neither users nor Lisp
input processing; the keys that are looked up in keymaps contain the
characters that result from keyboard translation.
- Under X, the keyboard key named @key{DELETE} is a function key and is
-distinct from the ASCII character named @key{DEL}. @xref{Named ASCII
-Chars}. Keyboard translations affect only ASCII character input, not
-function keys; thus, the above example used under X does not affect the
-@key{DELETE} key. However, the translation above isn't necessary under
-X, because Emacs can also distinguish between the @key{BACKSPACE} key
-and @kbd{C-h}; and it normally treats @key{BACKSPACE} as @key{DEL}.
+ On a window system, the keyboard key named @key{DELETE} is a function
+key and is distinct from the ASCII character named @key{DEL}.
+@xref{Named ASCII Chars}. Keyboard translations affect only ASCII
+character input, not function keys; thus, the above example used on a
+window system does not affect the @key{DELETE} key. However, the
+translation above isn't necessary on window systems, because Emacs can
+also distinguish between the @key{BACKSPACE} key and @kbd{C-h}; and it
+normally treats @key{BACKSPACE} as @key{DEL}.
For full information about how to use keyboard translations, see
@ref{Translating Input,,,elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.