From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Eli Zaretskii Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Right Alt/Meta keys on Windows systems Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:34:51 +0200 Message-ID: References: <200512281541.jBSFfXUQ013499@copa.pajato.com> <200512282155.22035.pogonyshev@gmx.net> <200512282231.19843.pogonyshev@gmx.net> <200512290000.jBT007bc021185@copa.pajato.com> <200512290608.jBT68CnK026345@copa.pajato.com> Reply-To: Eli Zaretskii NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1135888550 18695 80.91.229.2 (29 Dec 2005 20:35:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 20:35:50 +0000 (UTC) Cc: pogonyshev@gmx.net, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Dec 29 21:35:41 2005 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es4UP-0006hN-8w for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:35:09 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es4Vm-0004Ws-7q for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:36:34 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Es4Vc-0004Wj-JS for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:36:24 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Es4Va-0004WM-8f for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:36:24 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Es4Va-0004WJ-5X for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:36:22 -0500 Original-Received: from [192.114.186.20] (helo=nitzan.inter.net.il) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1Es4Vy-0006iw-Vt for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:36:47 -0500 Original-Received: from HOME-C4E4A596F7 (IGLD-80-230-209-90.inter.net.il [80.230.209.90]) by nitzan.inter.net.il (MOS 3.7.3-GA) with ESMTP id CHW90800 (AUTH halo1); Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:34:50 +0200 (IST) Original-To: pmr@pajato.com In-reply-to: <200512290608.jBT68CnK026345@copa.pajato.com> (message from Paul Michael Reilly on Thu, 29 Dec 2005 01:08:12 -0500) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:48510 Archived-At: > Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 01:08:12 -0500 > From: Paul Michael Reilly > CC: emacs-devel@gnu.org, pogonyshev@gmx.net > > > Paul was talking about GNU/Linux systems, not about MS-Windows. > > I understood him to be saying that his Windoze issue also should > apply to X-Windows. His Windoze issue, as I interpret it, is about > the use of the right Alt key to temporarily force the keyboard into a > U.S. English locale so that a a key available in the U.S. English > locale but overridden in the other locale can be made available. My Windows box doesn't behave this way, as I already told here. > And to make matters worse, I managed to scrounge around and dug up > access to a Windows/2000 system and, lo and behold, both Alt keys > operated as Meta modifier keys. So my issue, so far, is a > Windows/XP only issue. My Windows box runs XP as well, so obviously not every XP system exhibits your problem. See below. > 1) There are two camps who want a particular behavior from the right > Alt key on a Windows system. I believe these behaviors are > mutually exclusive: > > a) Right Alt key is a temporary locale modifier. > b) Right Alt key is a Meta modifier key. Does your Windows XP machine support a) ? > 2) Some who want the temporary locale modifier on the right Alt key > also believe that X-Windows systems should behave similarly. I believe X Windows already does that, at least with some window managers. > > > Knowing what locale settings Eli is using might help some. > > > > Tell me what to look at on my machine and what to report, and I will > > tell you what I have here. (I simply do not know what information > > defines the ``Windows locale''.) > > If you are running Windows/95/98/NT/2000 I run Windows XP. > If you are running Windows/XP then you should go to the Control > Panel and select "Regional and Language Options" and let us know > where any pulldowns on any tabs show anything but "United States > (English)". It says "English (United States)", but under "Location" below it says "Israel". Which is what I want: I want an Israeli locale, but I want English as the UI interface. Aha, I think I know what is the source of your problem. In the "Regional and Language Options", press the "Languages" tab, then click "Details". In the dialog that pops up, click the "Key Settings" button and look for an entry that uses the right Alt key. If you can get along without that function, disable it, which will change its key to "None", and I think your right Alt key will behave as Meta. > For example if you use a Hebrew input method that just > happens to make the right Alt key work like a Meta modifier, that > would be good to know. No, my Key Settings dialog described above does not list any function that is bound to the right Alt; the function "Switch to English-US" has "None" listed as its key binding.