How do I set my backspace key?

Sometimes you may get the ^? character when hitting the backspace key.
There are several different ways to set your backspace key when this happens
  1. Type CTRL-h instead of using backspace
  2. Since backspace works at the command line, you will can set it using the following:

    At command line, type:

    CTRL-V and the backspace character

    You should see something like:
    stty erase ^?
    The next time you run mail, it should take the change. However, when you log out, the backspace will be re-set.
  3. To make the change permanent, you will need to edit your login script.

    First, find out what shell you are running by typing the following at a command line:
    echo $SHELL
    For bash, edit the .bashrc file

    For csh, edit the .cshrc file

    Use your favorite text editor and append the line
    stty erase ^?
    to the end, using the same method above (CTRL-v + Backspace )

    Then, either log out/in or re-read the login script by doing the following:

    At the prompt, type:
    source ~/.bashrc
    or
    source ~/.cshrc