From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Bob Proulx Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: Re: a) What ways can Meta be put in a command?... b) What's the difference between Esc-x and M-x Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2013 19:47:24 -0600 Message-ID: <20130706014724.GA24995@hysteria.proulx.com> References: <5isizsbzhu.fsf@fencepost.gnu.org> <87ppuwg1xy.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1373075256 15734 80.91.229.3 (6 Jul 2013 01:47:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 6 Jul 2013 01:47:36 +0000 (UTC) To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Jul 06 03:47:38 2013 Return-path: Envelope-to: geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1UvHb7-0001Nr-TZ for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Sat, 06 Jul 2013 03:47:38 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:43923 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UvHb7-0007bJ-Dy for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:47:37 -0400 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:48310) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UvHay-0007b1-1Y for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:47:28 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UvHaw-0006tp-Pw for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:47:27 -0400 Original-Received: from joseki.proulx.com ([216.17.153.58]:40062) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1UvHaw-0006te-Jp for help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org; Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:47:26 -0400 Original-Received: from hysteria.proulx.com (hysteria.proulx.com [192.168.230.119]) by joseki.proulx.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0E885211D5 for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 19:47:25 -0600 (MDT) Original-Received: by hysteria.proulx.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id E52582DCF7; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 19:47:24 -0600 (MDT) Mail-Followup-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <87ppuwg1xy.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15) X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6.x X-Received-From: 216.17.153.58 X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 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.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:91975 Archived-At: Emanuel Berg wrote: > Peter Dyballa writes: > >> b) What's the difference between Esc-x and M-x > > > > In a terminal emulation M-x does not exist, you have to use > > Esc-x. The GNU Emacs variants with some windowing support also > > support the Esc-x work-around. That isn't precisely true. The support for Meta depends upon the terminal. It just so happens that meta-chars conflicts with UTF-8 and so for the most part you want UTF-8 more than a true Meta key that sets the high bit of the character. So we chose to configure terminals so that Meta sends Escape. At least I do. And then everything works. > On paleo-computers, was the Escape key placed anywhere else than > it is on today's keyboards? The reason I ask is - well, just try > hitting a couple of familiar shortcuts, but instead of Meta, use > Escape. I think it would take a master at the accordion to be > productive using that. Yes. The escape key has been located in other locations. Here is an example. On the HP HIL keyboard it was left of the left shift key. (Also note that control was left of the A.) A good keyboard layout for the touch typist. Everything was relatively close to the home row. http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=575 Mostly escape has been located in the upper left "somewhere". Although not always left of the 1 key. Bob