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From: Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se>
To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Meta key for 'emacs -nw'
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2016 00:15:19 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <87r3gu7lh4.fsf@debian.uxu> (raw)
In-Reply-To: n8pa0m$2fa$1@odin.sdf-eu.org

Bob Bernstein <rosebud@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:

> Emacs, unless specifically told not to do it -- with
> the '-nw' option, will ordinarily launch here (in an
> xterm) in X window fashion, and the Meta key is
> then 'Alt'.

If you are on a Debian system or derivative, or some
other Linux distro with style, you can install the
emacs-nox package ("no X") to get -nw by default
(well, you don't have a choice!).

> Launched in the same xterm, with '-nw,' emacs uses
> Esc for its Meta key, which I find um disenchanting,
> for lack of a better term.

Esc for Meta works in the GUI, X version of Emacs as
well! This was once not as bad as today because the
Escape key had another position. Here is a picture of
a HP keyboard, as late as 1985:

    http://www.hpmuseum.net/images/HP-HILKeyboard-42.jpg

> Or is this a matter of setting my xterm correctly?

Put this is ~/.Xresources

    xterm*metaSendsEscape: true

then put this in ~/.xinitrc

    xrdb ~/.Xresources

> (A thousand pardons if this is a F A Q.)

This is a good FAQ question actually. Or "RQ" perhaps
(recurring questions).

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573




      parent reply	other threads:[~2016-02-02 23:15 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 7+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2016-02-02  4:06 Meta key for 'emacs -nw' Bob Bernstein
2016-02-02  8:57 ` Yuri Khan
2016-02-02  9:14 ` Magnus Therning
2016-02-02  9:15 ` Magnus Therning
     [not found] ` <mailman.3406.1454403498.843.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2016-02-02 14:43   ` HASM
     [not found] ` <mailman.3409.1454404529.843.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>
2016-02-02 17:53   ` Bob Bernstein
2016-02-02 23:15 ` Emanuel Berg [this message]

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