The Command key, also historically known as the Apple key, open-Apple key or meta key is a modifier key present on Apple Keyboards. An "extended" Macintosh keyboard—the most common type—has two command keys, one on each side of the space bar; some compact keyboards have one only on the left.
In 1986, the Apple IIGS was introduced. Like the newer Macintosh computers to come, such as the Macintosh SE, it used the new Apple Desktop Bus for its keyboard and mouse. However, it was still an Apple II. Apple changed the keys on the IIGS's keyboard to Command and Option, as on Mac keyboards, but added an open-Apple to the Command key, for consistency with applications for previous Apple II generations. (The Option key did not have a closed-Apple, probably because Apple II applications used the closed-Apple key much more rarely than the open-Apple key; thus there was less need to keep it around.) Because any ADB keyboard could be used with the IIGS, all of Apple's ADB keyboards—even those intended for the Mac—also required the open-Apple, and it stuck for more than twenty years, causing confusion long after the Apple II series went out of production.
The Apple symbol was removed in the keyboard's 2007 redesign, making room for the key's name to appear. In the US, the keyboard now uses the word "command"; in Europe, the word used now is "cmd" printed on the key.
One advantage of this scheme, as contrasted with the Microsoft Windows mixed use of the Control and Alt keys, is that the Control key is reserved entirely for its original purpose: entering control characters in terminal applications. (Indeed, the very first Macintosh lacked a Control key; it was soon added to allow compatible terminal software.)
The Macintosh keyboard's other unusual modifier key, the Option key, serves as a modifier both for entering keyboard shortcuts and for typing text—it is used to enter foreign characters, typographical symbols, and other nonstandard characters.
The "" symbol, known as a Gorgon loop, Saint John's Arms or sometimes referred to as Saint Hannes cross, dates back to pre-Christian times.
The symbol was included in the original Macintosh font Chicago, and could be inserted by typing a control-q key combination.
When used in conjunction with computing the symbol is commonly given nicknames such as "quadfinity", '"cloverleaf", "splat", "splodge", "overpass", "butterfly", "squiggle", "beanie", "flower", "cauliflower", "curly-do", "propeller", "pretzel", "rugbeater" or "shamrock". Sometimes when used in conjunction with a Hot Key it is called "twiddle". Some believe the symbol should be named the "infinite loop", which is also the address for Apple world headquarters: 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014. In Unicode it is at code point U+2318 and is called "PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN".
When a non-Apple designed keyboard is present in the Mac OS X or Mac OS 9 environment the operating system tries to map a similar key to the Command key function. On a keyboard made with MS Windows logo, the Windows key is mapped to act as the Command key. On a Sun Microsystems designed keyboard the meta key () maps to the Command key function.
Conversely, if an Apple USB keyboard is connected to a PC running Windows, the system assumes the command keys are the Windows keys and assigns them as such. Under some Linux distributions, such as Red Hat and its derivatives, the left command key performs the function of the Meta key and the right one the Compose key.
Category:Computer keys Category:Macintosh platform
de:Befehlstaste es:Comando (tecla) fr:Touche commande nl:Command ja:コマンドキー no:Command (tast) sv:KommandotangentenThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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