[Info-vax] Emacs and Meta Key on a VT-520 (LK411-AA Keyboard) Terminal?

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2013-01-26 19:58, haziz wrote:
> As an Emacs user I appreciate the presence of a meta key (or similar) on a Keyboard. I am unable to figure out how to send a meta key signal to Emacs.
>
> I am using a VT-520 terminal with an LK411-AA keyboard.
>
> If there is not one to begin with is it possible to reprogram a key (single key please rather than a sequence) to serve as Meta.

There is no "proper" way of doing this.

To understand the problem properly, you need to understand what "meta" 
is. On a serial connection, you just send bytes. Normally each byte is 8 
bits of data. When you use Latin-1, all 8 bits are needed, so there is 
no more data bits where you could stuff the "meta" information.
In the really old days, meta used to be represented by the 8th bit. But 
with the introduction of Latin-1 in the DEC terminals, that no longer 
was possible.

In Emacs, an alternative to use the Meta is to use ESC. So instead of 
pressing Meta-V, you press ESC V. xterm use this trick behind your back. 
If you press Meta-V in xterm, xterm will in fact send ESC V for you.

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
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