[gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[Simon Ruderich]

Hi,

I'm trying to install gentoo on my Apple iBook G4. I loaded the  
correct keymap for my keyboard with "loadkeys de-latin1". Most of the  
keys are working correctly.
My problem is now that some characters (like the curly brace) can  
only be typed by using the alt-key. But if I press the alt-key and 8  
for example then the console changes from this:
livecd root #
To this:
(arg: 8)
And I don't know what this means.
Is there anything I can do to get the alt-key working?

Thanks in advance.
Simon
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Re: [gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 13:18:56 +0100, Simon Ruderich wrote:

> My problem is now that some characters (like the curly brace) can  
> only be typed by using the alt-key. But if I press the alt-key and 8  
> for example then the console changes from this:
> livecd root #
> To this:
> (arg: 8)
> And I don't know what this means.
> Is there anything I can do to get the alt-key working?

This is nothing to do with the iBook hardware, my AMD64 box does it too.
The Alt key works but Alt-n giving (arg: n) appears to be a feature of
bash, although there's no reference to the Alt key in the bash manpage.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

In the begining, there was nothing.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[Richard Fish]

On 2/4/06, Neil Bothwick <neil@digimed.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 13:18:56 +0100, Simon Ruderich wrote:
>
> > My problem is now that some characters (like the curly brace) can
> > only be typed by using the alt-key. But if I press the alt-key and 8
> > for example then the console changes from this:
> > livecd root #
> > To this:
> > (arg: 8)
> > And I don't know what this means.
> > Is there anything I can do to get the alt-key working?
>
> This is nothing to do with the iBook hardware, my AMD64 box does it too.
> The Alt key works but Alt-n giving (arg: n) appears to be a feature of
> bash, although there's no reference to the Alt key in the bash manpage.

It is a readline function (see man readline).

Try adding to ~/.inputrc:

Meta-0:
Meta-1:
...
Meta-9:

-Richard

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Re: [gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 18:35:29 -0700, Richard Fish wrote:

> > The Alt key works but Alt-n giving (arg: n) appears to be a feature of
> > bash, although there's no reference to the Alt key in the bash
> > manpage.
> 
> It is a readline function (see man readline).

OK, thanks.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

What's another word for `Thesaurus'?

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Re: [gentoo-user] Problem with alt-key on Apple iBook

[Willie Wong]

On Sat, Feb 04, 2006 at 02:44:54PM +0000, Penguin Lover Neil Bothwick squawked:
> This is nothing to do with the iBook hardware, my AMD64 box does it too.
> The Alt key works but Alt-n giving (arg: n) appears to be a feature of
> bash, although there's no reference to the Alt key in the bash manpage.
> 

Actually, it is gnu readline (I think). And there are indeed
references to that in 'man bash', just that you need to search for the
Meta key instead of alt. Meta/alt + number gives a numeric argument,
whose purpose I am not quite sure about. But in bash, a numeric
argument not associate to any readline commands would repeat the next
character n times, where n is the number after Meta. For example,
holding down the alt key and typing 100, then release the alt key and
hit a, would, get you on the command line, 100 'a's. 

HTH, 

W
-- 
"`This must be Thursday,' said Arthur to himself, sinking 
low over his beer, `I never could get the hang of 
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- Arthur, on what was to be his last Thursday on Earth. 
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