Symbolics

The Symbolics keyboard layout is specific to the range of keyboards which was sold with the Lisp machines made by Symbolics, Inc. (website of the new symbolics is at http://www.symbolics-dks.com/).

Since these machines ran a custom OS based on the Lisp programming language, the layout has a few peculiar features:

• Since Lisp is heavy on parentheses, the keys next to 'P' produce parentheses without having to press Shift.
• The keyboard has an unusual amount of modifiers and extra "shift" keys which allow to type extra characters or have more levels of key bindings.
• There are "Network" and "Local" keys to switch between a local or remote prompt.

Other special features include:

• The key next to 'A' is captioned Rubout and behaves like an extra backspace or delete key.
• The other backspace sits one row lower than on PC keybaords and is a small key.

• Symbolics keyboards
• 

  Modifiers are black on gray, function keys are white on gray, and alpha keys are white on black.

• 

  Later variant with beige instead of white text.

• 

  The last generation of Symbolics keyboards had red on white for modifiers and black on white for the rest.

IO System of the Lisp Machines (1981)

(see pages 276.. in the LIP MACHINES MANUAL (3rd ed;1981) ).

Buttons on the keyboard

• PAGE Enter a page separator.
• RUB OUT delete character to the left.

Modifiers

• SHIFT
• TOP
• GREEK/FRONT
• CONTROL
• META
• SUPER
• HYPER

There are no control charecters as in ASCII, so CONTROL just sets the control-modifier bit.

If SHIFT is pressed along with CONTROL and/or META, it sets the hyper modifier-bit!

Example: Pressing CONTROL-SHIFT-A does not produce C-A instead of C-a, but H-A.

Character codes

The code-table on page 279 shows not all characters and symbols on the Space Cadet keyboard. However, the 4 hands and I-IV are present. See also pages 287/288. For an example how to use the hands symbols, see p. 437.

See also

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