Re: Meta key for 'emacs -nw'

[Emanuel Berg]

Bob Bernstein <rosebud@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:

> Emacs, unless specifically told not to do it -- with
> the '-nw' option, will ordinarily launch here (in an
> xterm) in X window fashion, and the Meta key is
> then 'Alt'.

If you are on a Debian system or derivative, or some
other Linux distro with style, you can install the
emacs-nox package ("no X") to get -nw by default
(well, you don't have a choice!).

> Launched in the same xterm, with '-nw,' emacs uses
> Esc for its Meta key, which I find um disenchanting,
> for lack of a better term.

Esc for Meta works in the GUI, X version of Emacs as
well! This was once not as bad as today because the
Escape key had another position. Here is a picture of
a HP keyboard, as late as 1985:

    http://www.hpmuseum.net/images/HP-HILKeyboard-42.jpg

> Or is this a matter of setting my xterm correctly?

Put this is ~/.Xresources

    xterm*metaSendsEscape: true

then put this in ~/.xinitrc

    xrdb ~/.Xresources

> (A thousand pardons if this is a F A Q.)

This is a good FAQ question actually. Or "RQ" perhaps
(recurring questions).

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573