cokebottle

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

<character, humour> /kohk'bot-l/ Any 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" was used less, but was often used to describe weird or non-intuitive keystrokes.

The OSF/Motif window manager, "mwm" keystroke for switching to the default keybindings and behaviour is control-meta-bang. Since exclamation mark might be thought to look like a Coke bottle, Motif hackers referred to this keystroke as "cokebottle".

See also quadruple bucky. [Jargon File]

(1995-01-04)

The Jargon File

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.