Meta key - Revision history

Larsbrinkhoff: Link to informative web page.

2025-11-20T09:13:14Z

Link to informative web page.

Larsbrinkhoff: Minor details.

2025-11-20T08:12:46Z

Minor details.

Larsbrinkhoff: Wrong, there is not meta but mod1.

2025-11-19T10:15:48Z

Wrong, there is not meta but mod1.

Larsbrinkhoff: Add info on Altmode.

2025-11-19T07:48:17Z

Add info on Altmode.

Larsbrinkhoff: Development of the meta key.

2025-11-19T07:24:24Z

Development of the meta key.

New page

{{stub}}

For now, some notes about the development of a "meta key" concept. Roughly in chronological order.

* "Meta Hand" on the [[TX-2]] keyboards.
* META on the [[LINC]] keyboard.
* EDIT on the [[IMSSS]] custom Datamedia keyboard for use with [[TVEDIT|TVEdit]].
* META modifier on the [[Stanford_Artificial_Intelligence_Laboratory|SAIL]] keyboard.
* META modifier on the [[Knight TV system|Knight keyboard]]. Also TOP.
* META modifier on the [[CADR|Kulp "space-cadet" keyboard]]. Also TOP, GREEK, SUPER, HYPER.
* Stanford [[SUN workstation]] proposal from 1980 mentions a META key.
* [[Sun-2]] keyboard has modifiers LEFT and RIGHT. Subsequent Sun keyboards have the diamond symbol.
* The [[X Window System]] protocol has a Meta modifier.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:13, 20 November 2025
Line 13:		Line 13:
	* [[Sun-2]] keyboard has modifiers LEFT and RIGHT. Subsequent Sun keyboards have the diamond symbol.		* [[Sun-2]] keyboard has modifiers LEFT and RIGHT. Subsequent Sun keyboards have the diamond symbol.
	* The [[X Window System]] protocol has five "mod" [[bucky bit]]s, of which the first is usually mapped to Meta and/or Alt.		* The [[X Window System]] protocol has five "mod" [[bucky bit]]s, of which the first is usually mapped to Meta and/or Alt.
		+
		+	==External links==
		+
		+	* [http://xahlee.info/kbd/meta_key.html History of Meta Key] by Xah Lee.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For now, some notes about the development of a "meta key" concept.  Roughly in chronological order.
-* "Meta Hand" on the [[TX-2]] keyboards.
+* "Meta Hand" on the [[TX-2]] keyboards.  Typed to enter a "meta command", or special directions to the assembly program.
-* META on the [[LINC]] keyboard.
+* META on the [[LINC]] keyboard.  Typed as a prefix for commands, much like the TX-2 key.
 * [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]] and its preceding PDP-6 software uses [[Teletype]] model 33 Altmode key as a command prefix.
-* EDIT on the [[IMSSS]] custom Datamedia keyboard for use with [[TVEDIT|TVEdit]].
+* EDIT on the [[IMSSS]] custom Datamedia keyboard for use with [[TVEDIT|TVEdit]].  Typed to enter editor commands.
 * META modifier on the [[Stanford_Artificial_Intelligence_Laboratory|SAIL]] keyboard.
 * META modifier on the [[Knight TV system|Knight keyboard]]; used with [[Emacs editors|EMACS]] as an alternative to the Altmode prefix.  Also TOP.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 * Stanford [[SUN workstation]] proposal from 1980 mentions a META key.
 * [[Sun-2]] keyboard has modifiers LEFT and RIGHT.  Subsequent Sun keyboards have the diamond symbol.
-* The [[X Window System]] protocol has a Meta modifier.
+* The [[X Window System]] protocol has five "mod" [[bucky bit]]s, of which the first is usually mapped to Meta and/or Alt.