If you start a terminal in X and type at the command prompt, backspace works just fine. Run a program from it like ircii, vi, and mutt -- it works just fine. Run a program like ftp, su, telnet, etc -- it doesn't. Backspace results in ^H. Delete (which I've learned will usually be the backspace even though it really shouldn't be) results in ^[[3~. Control-H just gives another ^H. In other words, nothing works. This can get very frustrating. Furthermore, less has different problems. less somefile. type /oops, then try to use the backspace. oops indeed. alt-backspace will clear to the start of the word, but nevertheless backspace doesn't work right. From a vt, however, the backspace works perfectly.
I can't reproduce any of this in either konsole, gnome-terminal and xterm. You're probably using some odd ~/.termcap file?
2000.12.04: Not resolved ! I've made an install of 7.0 from CD onto a freshly formatted partition (thus no old or modified .termcap) and experience similar problems, but worse: backspace doesnt work in any application within X (using out-of-the-box Gnome, havent tried KDE). Backspace seems to work in VTs. (Machine is a quite old Intel mobo (Portland?) PII-266, which has been running 3.2, 4.0, 5.1 and 6.1 OK) sincerely yours
(later) As usual, problem turned up to be quite simple. For some reason I've not discovered yet, both backspace and delete _keys_ are mapped to the _keysymbol_ delete. Not being an x guru, what I could do was the following, non portable solution: xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace" improvised from man xmodmap info. Note that 22 is the scan code for my keyboard, look up yours using xev yours truly -