The Meta key is a
modifier key
In computing, a modifier key is a special key (or combination) on a computer keyboard that temporarily modifies the normal action of another key when pressed together. By themselves, modifier keys usually do nothing; that is, pressing any of the , ...
on certain
keyboards. It first appeared on the
Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) keyboard in 1970.
History
The Meta key first appeared on the
Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) keyboard in 1970
and successors such as the
Knight keyboard,
space-cadet keyboard,
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
Lisp machine,
Symbolics keyboards, and on
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...
keyboards (where it is marked with a black diamond "◆").
Use
Generally, the Meta key worked similar to
Macintosh
Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
's
Command key
The Command key (sometimes abbreviated as Cmd key), , formerly also known as the Apple key or open Apple key, is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. The Command key's purpose is to allow the user to enter keyboard commands in applica ...
, in that when held down it modified letters and symbols into immediate commands (shortcuts). On these keyboards the
Control key
In computing, a Control key is a modifier key which, when pressed in conjunction with another key, performs a special operation (for example, ). Similarly to the Shift key, the Control key rarely performs any function when pressed by itself. ...
was placed closest to the
space bar, then the Meta key outside Control. The space-cadet keyboard added the
Super key outside Meta, and the
Hyper key outside that. All these keys produced shortcuts (2
4-1 of them for every letter), but the Control ones were easiest to type and most popular, and the Meta ones second-easiest and thus second most popular. However, on most modern keyboards, the Control key is ''farthest'' from the space bar, reversing the convenience of shortcuts.
On keyboards that lack a physical Meta key, its functionality may be invoked by other keys such as the
Windows key
The Windows key (also known as win, start, logo, flag or super key) is a keyboard key originally introduced on Microsoft's Natural Keyboard in 1994. Windows 95 used it to bring up the start menu and it then became a standard key on PC ke ...
or Macintosh's
Option key
The Option key, , is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. It is located between the Control key and the Command key on a typical Mac keyboard. There are two Option keys on modern (as of 2020) Mac desktop and notebook keyboards, one on each ...
.
However, software often provides another workaround, such as using the
Alt key
The Alt key (pronounced or ) on a computer keyboard is used to change (alternate) the function of other pressed keys. Thus, the Alt key is a modifier key, used in a similar fashion to the Shift key. For example, simply pressing ''A'' will ty ...
(which does not exist on the
Knight keyboard), or using the
Esc key as a prefix (e.g., in
Emacs
Emacs (), originally named EMACS (an acronym for "Editor Macros"), is a family of text editors that are characterized by their extensibility. The manual for the most widely used variant, GNU Emacs, describes it as "the extensible, customizable, s ...
). Because of these workarounds, the need for Meta – despite being the most-used additional
modifier key
In computing, a modifier key is a special key (or combination) on a computer keyboard that temporarily modifies the normal action of another key when pressed together. By themselves, modifier keys usually do nothing; that is, pressing any of the , ...
– was less than for other modifier keys. It is more common today to use the Windows key to emulate the
Super key.
Gallery
File:Space-cadet.jpg, Space-cadet keyboard
File:Symbolics-keyboard.jpg, Symbolics keyboard
See also
*
Modifier key
In computing, a modifier key is a special key (or combination) on a computer keyboard that temporarily modifies the normal action of another key when pressed together. By themselves, modifier keys usually do nothing; that is, pressing any of the , ...
References
{{keyboard keys
Computer keys