Cokebottle

2 definitions found

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  cokebottle /kohk'bot-l/ n. Any very unusual character, particularly one
     you can't type because it isn't on your keyboard. MIT people used to
     complain about the `control-meta-cokebottle' commands at SAIL, and SAIL
     people complained right back about the `escape-escape-cokebottle'
     commands at MIT. After the demise of the {space-cadet keyboard},
     `cokebottle' faded away as serious usage, but was often invoked


     humorously to describe an (unspecified) weird or non-intuitive keystroke
     command. It may be due for a second inning, however. The OSF/Motif
     window manager, `mwm(1)', has a reserved keystroke for switching to the
     default set of keybindings and behavior. This keystroke is (believe it
     or not) `control-meta-bang' (see {bang}). Since the exclamation point
     looks a lot like an upside down Coke bottle, Motif hackers have begun
     referring to this keystroke as `cokebottle'. See also {quadruple bucky}.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  cokebottle
       
          /kohk'bot-l/ Any very unusual character, particularly one you
          can't type because it isn't on your keyboard.  {MIT} people
          used to complain about the "control-meta-cokebottle" commands
          at {SAIL}, and {SAIL} people complained about the
          "{altmode}-altmode-cokebottle" commands at {MIT}.  After the
          demise of the {space-cadet keyboard}, "cokebottle" faded away
          as serious usage, but was often invoked humorously to describe
          an (unspecified) weird or non-intuitive keystroke command.  It
          may be due for a second inning, however.  The {OSF}/{Motif}
          {window manager}, "{mwm}", has a reserved keystroke for
          switching to the default set of keybindings and behaviour.
          This keystroke is (believe it or not) "control-meta-bang" (see
          {bang}).  Since the exclamation point looks a lot like an
          upside down Coke bottle, {Motif} hackers have begun referring
          to this keystroke as "cokebottle".
       
          See also {quadruple bucky}.
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
          (1995-01-04)