Text File

Aucb.116 fa.editor-p utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!C70:editor-p Sun Dec 6 11:08:30 1981 meta keys >From reid@Shasta Sun Dec 6 11:06:19 1981 Sender: reid at Shasta Remailed-date: 6 Dec 1981 1055-PST Remailed-from: J.Q. Johnson <ADMIN.JQJ AT SU-SCORE> Remailed-to: editor-people-distribution at SU-SCORE

The meta (nee-escape) is always conveniently located (on my terminal at least) in the upper left hand corner.

Meta is not nee escape; it's rather the other way 'round. The difference is quite important. If I want to execute meta-control-d three times, then I hold down meta and control and hit "ddd". If I want to type "dw" three times, then I hit "dwdwdw". Terminals having no proper "meta" key use the hack of a prefix escape, but in the process of doing so lose the advantages of keystroke minimization.

Having the commonly-used prefix or chord characters located at the periphery of the keyboard but still within reach of the home row is definitely a win. I don't know how much of a win.

I don't consider that the notions of keystroke minimization a la EMACS and cross product languages a la ZED are in fact contradictory. A keyboard could be designed that had chord keys labeled "word", "character", and "paragraph"; one would hold down "word" and "d" to delete a word. Right now my "word" key is labeled "meta"; my "paragraph" key is actually the combination of "control" and "meta", and my "character" key is labeled "control". Using sequences rather than chords has the advantage of permitting longer sequences, but the disadvantage of being permutation-selective: DN2W and 2NDW don't mean the same thing.

The Laurel 6 editor in use at Xerox Parc offers an EMACS-style modeless operation and a VI/ZED-style modal operation; the user can select between those two styles of operation by tweaking some profile file. If you are running modally, then you type "I" to enter insert mode and ESC to get out of it, and "D" to delete something. If you are running modelessly, then you hold down the "command" chord button and hit "D" to delete something, and just type straight text in order to insert it. I'd be curious to know what fraction of the users of that editor choose to run it each of the two ways.

Today in the supermarket I was waiting in line behind a man who was giving the checker fits about prices, and at one point the checker needed to un-record something on the electronic cash register. He shouted to the manager "Joe! I need a Delete Key". I expected to see the manager rip a keytop off another cash register and hand it to him, but what actually happened is that the manager brought over a large brass key, which when applied caused the "+" button to mean "-". So much for terminology. At least the manager didn't shout back "Just type control-meta-D".

Brian Reid

----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org> of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/

This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided:

1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles.

2. The following notice remains appended to each copy:

The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.