Symbolics keyboard

Lore & Background

The Symbolics keyboard was introduced as a simplified version of the complex space-cadet keyboard that had been used on the LM-2, Symbolics' initial product introduced in 1981. The LM-2 was a repackaged version of the MIT CADR Lisp machine design. The later 3600 series models, introduced in 1983, used this simplified keyboard, which did not feature the complex symbol set of the space-cadet keyboard.

The keyboard's design was closely tied to the Zmacs text editor, a variant of Emacs implemented in the ZWEI text-processing package. Zmacs required many modifier keys, and the Symbolics keyboard provided them in a dedicated block. The 3600 series computers were popular for artificial intelligence research and commercial applications throughout the 1980s, and the keyboard was an integral part of the user experience for developers working in the Lisp environment.

Reader's Guide

The Symbolics keyboard's significance lies in its role as a key interface for the Symbolics Lisp machines, which were widely believed to be the best platform for developing AI software during the 1980s. The keyboard's layout, with its block of modifier keys (Control, Meta, Super, Hyper), was designed specifically for the Zmacs editor and the Lisp machine environment, reflecting the unique requirements of the software development tools of the era. The article notes that the keyboard was a simplified version of the earlier space-cadet keyboard, indicating an evolution in design. The Symbolics computers, including the 3600 series, were used in AI research and commercial applications, and the keyboard was a direct interface to the powerful software development environment that Symbolics offered. The company's role in the history of computing, including its adversarial relationship with Richard Stallman that helped instigate the free software movement, adds context to the keyboard's place in computing history.

Did You Know?

• The Symbolics keyboard featured Control, Meta, Super, and Hyper keys in a block.
• It was a simplified version of the space-cadet keyboard used on the earlier LM-2 model.
• The keyboard was used with the 3600 series of Lisp machines, introduced in 1983.
• The Zmacs text editor, which required many modifier keys, was implemented in the ZWEI text-processing package.