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The Super key () is an alternative name for what is commonly labelled as the Windows key or Command key on modern
computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...
s, typically bound and handled as such by
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
and BSD operating systems and software today. The Super key was originally a modifier key on a keyboard designed for Lisp machines at MIT.


History

The " space-cadet" keyboard, designed in 1978 at MIT for the Lisp machine, introduced two new modifier keys, "Super" and "Hyper", compared to the earlier Knight keyboard also used with Lisp machines. Both keys became supported in the powerful
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 ...
text editor, which had, or would receive, influential
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
s on
Multics Multics ("MULTiplexed Information and Computing Service") is an influential early time-sharing operating system based on the concept of a single-level memory.Dennis M. Ritchie, "The Evolution of the Unix Time-sharing System", Communications of t ...
,
Unix Unix (, ; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multi-user computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...
, and many other operating systems, and saw wide adoption at institutions beyond MIT. Beginning in 1984, the
X Window System The X Window System (X11, or simply X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays, common on Unix-like operating systems. X originated as part of Project Athena at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1984. The X protocol has been at ...
(a graphical user interface standard for
Unix-like A Unix-like (sometimes referred to as UN*X, *nix or *NIX) operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, although not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. A Uni ...
operating systems) supported the , , and modifiers, as well as the common Shift, Control, and Alt keys. Unix workstations of that era sometimes featured Super keys located between the and or Meta keys (sometimes including a key), but the eventual dominance of the IBM Model M 101/102-key layout (which only had Ctrl, Alt, and Shift modifiers) would make the keys unavailable on any modern hardware. Despite the disappearance of these keys, many of Emacs' complex commands still required use of them, and the X11 technical UI standards for Unix still supported them, so these were soon a target to be emulated with alternative key combinations. and were commonly used in place of Meta: for example, being issued via or . Emacs commands using the Super key still presented a challenge, while the Hyper key commands gradually fell into disuse, with their keybindings being replaced by longer alternative bindings using combinations of other keys. In 1994 the key first appeared on the popular Microsoft Natural Keyboard where it would serve to allow users to conveniently operate the Start menu on the upcoming Windows 95 without use of a
mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
. It was in the same general location as the old workstation Super keys, in a space that the 101/102-key layout hadn't used. The subsequent proliferation of the Windows key as a part of the standard 104/105-key layout, coupled with its lack of specific purpose for operating systems with no Start menu, offered a new option to map another input modifier key expected in the Unix world. At first, around 1996, it was common practice to map the Meta key onto the Windows key. However, because of the existing alternative keys for Meta in Emacs, the reintroduction of a hardware Meta key binding did not prove exceptionally useful. This made Super the next most frequently emulated key of choice, and thus it became the standard assignment for the Windows key under X11.


Usage

Most
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
software and documentation calls these keys "Super" keys. However in the kernel they are still referred to as META_L and META_R. and in some documentation such as for KDE Plasma, it is still called the Meta key. Most Linux graphical desktop environments use the Super key for window management and application launching, not only for commands used by applications. Much of this is similar to the use of the Windows key in the Windows operating system. In cases where a Unix keymap and a Windows keymap coincide, such as during the deployment of a
Virtual Machine In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization or emulator, emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve ...
, a keyboard event will be treated as equivalent to a event, or vice versa, as needed. * In GNOME 3, letting go of the Super key defaults to showing the activities window. * In Openbox the Super key is an available modifier key, but is not used in any default shortcuts. * Under Unity, the key is used to control launcher and manage windows. * 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 ...
, Super continues to be used for command keybindings, though currently none of the builtin commands use it by default. * In
elementary OS Elementary OS (stylized as elementary OS) is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu LTS. It promotes itself as a "thoughtful, capable, and ethical" replacement to macOS and Microsoft Windows, Windows and has a pay what you want, pay-what-you-wan ...
, the Super key shows a shortcut overlay and is used for several system, window, and workspace functions. * In i3, the Super key is used by default to control the behavior and layout of windows.


In other OSes

X11 emulation on
macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
puts the Super shift state on the Command or "Apple" key. ChromeOS refers to the "Super" or Windows key on external keyboards as "External Meta".


References

{{Keyboard keys Computer keys