Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!mailrus!purdue!i.cc.purdue.edu!j.cc.purdue.edu!nwd
From: nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu (Daniel Lawrence)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: MicroEMACS
Summary: Meta Keys on the IBM-PC (again)
Keywords: META uEMACS
Message-ID: <8640@j.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 5 Jan 89 16:15:10 GMT
References: <14312@srcsip.UUCP>
Reply-To: nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu (Daniel Lawrence)
Organization: Purdue University
Lines: 30

In article <14312@srcsip.UUCP> rogers@orion.UUCP (Brynn Rogers) writes:
>I have downloaded MicroEMACS ver 3.9 from the simtel archive,
>but It makes me hit ESC then X for M-X.  
>I would much rather hit the ALT and X at the same time, like on unix
>(on a SUN the LEFT and RIGHT keys are the same as the ALT key)
>
	As has been explained here before... the IBM-PC keyboard
with the ALT key does not map all the various shift and control
combinations.  Thus it is not possible to use the ALT key as a
straight META key like on the terminals where such a key is provided.
IE the ALT key overides both the shift key and the control key
so the BIOS can not tell the difference between Alt-A and Alt-a
and Alt-^A.  This makes this a not usefull shoice for meta.

	It would be possible, on a TRUE BLUE to go all the
way down to the hardware to impliment this, but this would make it fail
on most other MSDOS machines, and is really contrary to the portibility
of MicroEMACS as a whole.

	<other praise deleted....>

>'Seek out new life and civilizations'	| Brynn Rogers    Honeywell S&RC
>					| Internet: rogers@src.honeywell.com
>       "Honey, come see what I   	| UUCP: rogers@srcsip.uucp
>        found in the refrigerator!"	| !: {umn-cs,ems,bthpyb}!srcsip!rogers

					Daniel Lawrence
					(317) 742-5153 nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu
					The Programmer's Room Fido 1:201/10
					(317) 742-5533