RE: [tlug] How to use FF's shortcuts [C&C?]

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

burlingk@example.com writes:

 > > C-s foo C-s C-s M-b C-b C-SPC M-} C-w .
 > >   1   4   5   6   7   8     9  10  11 12
 > > 
 > 
 > In this case, what does M stand for?
 > I get C and SPC :P

Meta.  On the Lisp machines and maybe some terminals and workstations
there actually was a key by that name, but they're rare nowadays.  In
XEmacs, it refers to the third modifier key (after Shift, which is
universal, and Control, which is practically so).  Preferably it is a
key whose internal symbol is Meta (but may be labelled with AltGr, a
diamond, apple, or window); if that is not available but Alt is, use
Alt; and if that is not available (usually because the console is a
TTY), use ASCII ESC as a prefix.[1]

Another, even more baroque, cross-vendor nomenclature is from X11.  I
started to write up an explanation, but decided that would just
confuse the issue. :-)

Footnotes: 
[1]  I once had to LART Mandrivel pretty hard for changing this
algorithm (by patching XEmacs) because they, in their infinite wisdom,
decided that all Linux users use PCs and therefore expect to use Alt
as a modifier in their applications, and so Meta should be free for
the window manager to hog.

They had a point, the algorithm could be configurable.  What I
objected to was the fact that they hardcoded different behavior when
their users built XEmacs from scratch, it didn't work right and we got
the bug reports.