From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.io!.POSTED.blaine.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Christopher Dimech Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Modifier Keys and the Archaic Meta Key Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:05:45 +0100 Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Injection-Info: ciao.gmane.io; posting-host="blaine.gmane.org:116.202.254.214"; logging-data="5107"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@ciao.gmane.io" To: Help Gnu Emacs Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Sun Oct 25 11:08:40 2020 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([209.51.188.17]) by ciao.gmane.io with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.92) (envelope-from ) id 1kWcx5-0001Gp-Na for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:08:39 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:48070 helo=lists1p.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1kWcx4-0007Is-Gg for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane-mx.org; Sun, 25 Oct 2020 06:08:38 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:43790) by lists.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1kWcuO-0007Hl-DI for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 25 Oct 2020 06:05:52 -0400 Original-Received: from mout.gmx.net ([212.227.15.19]:56101) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256) (Exim 4.90_1) (envelope-from ) id 1kWcuM-0002LD-1T for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Sun, 25 Oct 2020 06:05:51 -0400 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=gmx.net; s=badeba3b8450; t=1603620345; bh=JTn0yCtgAXnqFAaqMqgjdeOhQnmwEk51VPxhixy87Sg=; h=X-UI-Sender-Class:From:To:Subject:Date; b=hMV0aq/wnPtN0V63tKDwQhuCHsc13grMy8YJuMboUXOUDjNirxg89DTc+tHIgHJon LznrwdfEK8D6gRuGcWBHcIkoi+1ZSPuOMXJ2gpnzitocBijPLfPvd/gUdl0drwB2PA tpg/LpKaNqDF7igWv6o4uVYkBoxiTvwOFwzafHtc= X-UI-Sender-Class: 01bb95c1-4bf8-414a-932a-4f6e2808ef9c Original-Received: from [213.165.168.94] ([213.165.168.94]) by web-mail.gmx.net (3c-app-mailcom-bs06.server.lan [172.19.170.174]) (via HTTP); Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:05:45 +0100 Importance: normal Sensitivity: Normal X-Priority: 3 X-Provags-ID: V03:K1:pyMOdsSC7cF1P1w8mP5KgfRQyOeXZiGKZplvZByZ/BvWVgP+Yx1Yql7xQzVoKyHkj+LU/ taYL58GZbDM0EDcD2IMbNwid6OCv2yfVp3yBIaqlshPg8JnNmy1m04/0PiV9anqW3CzP7anWERyd AEF4ka+ZHI5KzFtGlfgd9WFl+4tx8Me6ar3UJ1uT3YXKy33q670STkBfhCYlY7SM8nTIC8kwxRTj ypnurWDb9cWj+gcZx7IaW0vHxW57pLh7pWFjvtBo+WtGMMHFp4W6VZeG2aqa61JVRnosB7zV60VV 34= X-UI-Out-Filterresults: notjunk:1;V03:K0:vtdQqF3QRdE=:Do8Wjnc5Q3h3bnaAGO8SKp erJuhGExJYYzmi7Ibz9xk8hP4h0yPnbwliSDRErKsJKdQR+x+6KGAf+8apZ4RFz118l9Yh92a 3j8tV9OlY5bhKpigIe87CcaM+njYKc+0F0svqp0USPrsxwUjgw6gzhHIRXjIgWitwKWf1Yhit wlUhxqsImv5YRhurDzitT17TdGcssLy3r/Z+4wJmoOylpsdzyMYC7CgNxGAZkH3t3MP1Cza7w ulJKRKPlZKH7tEf6z4N8wbhm+gsw6IReSJItWFniM5eBZ8uV50ApWcO6Z/Mk338SWwv4Ovg0k 7xTSZ+M9vRflDML5LrFZNtWZIV6lRlCsNvJ4mpqKgF85FYGaa/oZhesPCJXE0eTSwK1aWwL0p z/E7C6uWttimFMFlFQ21AwUoFJ0V/QX21x43C4oVxg/+6EKES4nq9zxgDjptJlV4aiCFxrSur k+/aKRm9qx4mtAVLTOStwnMXHEJVTh9mOggOf1/HC4SDijWQuJyqvpGu70dofM+YWjD6hfumB 2mUeTNcY2cFPDHs6Kjam2j+qRtXCM8ualdfPS/G34Oqeuf1HHUIlMiH9fvAK1oqealBpJg1FU RS6yTxBKR9zH8= Received-SPF: pass client-ip=212.227.15.19; envelope-from=dimech@gmx.com; helo=mout.gmx.net X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: First seen = 2020/10/25 05:27:33 X-ACL-Warn: Detected OS = Linux 2.2.x-3.x [generic] [fuzzy] X-Spam_score_int: -25 X-Spam_score: -2.6 X-Spam_bar: -- X-Spam_report: (-2.6 / 5.0 requ) BAYES_00=-1.9, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, FREEMAIL_FROM=0.001, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_LOW=-0.7, RCVD_IN_MSPIKE_H2=-0.001, SPF_HELO_NONE=0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no X-Spam_action: no action X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.23 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane-mx.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: "help-gnu-emacs" Xref: news.gmane.io gmane.emacs.help:124702 Archived-At: Dear Compeers, In 1975, when Richard Stallman and Guy Steele started designing keybindings they used the keyboards used by Lisp Machines which had Modifier Keys like Meta. Today, Lisp Machines and their keyboards are only historical keyboards whose use has become academic. Thusly, I disapprove of the practice of continuing with the use of the Modifier Key Mnemonic 'M' in documentation and code. Perhaps a historical note can be included in the documentation about historical aspects, however in terms of use and functionality, it is not strategically productive to continue with the 'M' Mnemonic for things that do not exist. The Super Key Mnemonic is currently 's' (small letter s) which conflicts the the usual letter 's'. To distinguish Modifier Keys, Upper Case should be made a rule, with the Super Key Mnemonic being set to 'P' (the middle letter in Super). Modifier Keys customarily are categorised by priority as follows. Focus should be on Priority Levels rather just a letter among five Modifier Keys. Such discussion would make commands much easier to figure out. Priority 1: Control Key 'C' Priority 2: Alternate Key 'A' Priority 3: Hyper Key 'H' Priority 4: Super Key 'P' (for middle letter, instead of 's') Priority 5: Shift Key 'S' This evaluation and modifications outlined is useful for users today, whilst continuing with archaic elaboration on 1975 Lisp Keyboards has become unproductive for new users. Regards Christopher