3 ms·

Most likely it would have been abbreviated as Apl, similar to how the windows key is Win when shown in menus of keyboard shortcuts

ksherlock 4y ago
Microsoft has no taste. The Apple IIgs used an Apple icon. https://imgur.com/0FzDRjl https://imgur.com/0FzDRjl
- ianai 4y ago
  MS not having taste is both a bug and a feature.
JadeNB 4y ago
macOS (even back when it was OS X, and I assume before that) systematically refers to special keys with symbols, not written names. In addition to the CMD symbol, SHIFT is ⇧, CTRL is ^, and ALT/OPT is ⌥.
- underwater 4y ago
  And they sell keyboards that only use the written names, and not the symbols. Plus make common keyboard shortcuts require multiple modifier keys.
  - JadeNB 4y ago
    > And they sell keyboards that only use the written names, and not the symbols. Do they? I thought all Apple-branded keyboards used the symbols (except, as bin_bash points out (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33036804 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33036804), for shift). > Plus make common keyboard shortcuts require multiple modifier keys. You can also change keyboard shortcuts system-wide. It's not an argument against good defaults, but it does allow you to relieve the pain.
- MBCook 4y ago
  Correct. That’s what it did in System 6 and 7, if I remember correctly. Those were the first/oldest Macs I’ve used.
- bin_bash 4y ago
  I've always wondered why they don't put the shift symbol on the keyboards when all the other symbols exist
  - JadeNB 4y ago
    > I've always wondered why they don't put the shift symbol on the keyboards when all the other symbols exist. My keyboard doesn't have any key for the symbol ⌥ or ⌘, either. Or do you mean that all the other modifier keys on Mac-branded keyboards are labelled with their symbols, whereas shift isn't?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - bin_bash 4y ago
      On my M1 MacBook Pro I see symbols on all modifiers except shift
      - JadeNB 4y ago
        So you meant that the non-shift modifier keys have symbols on them (same for me!), not that there is a key that is intended to produce the symbol that denotes the modifier, right?
  - bouke 4y ago
    Some keyboards use icons, others text. See for example this: https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/fi_FI/keyboards/british_notebook.png https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare....
drewzero1 4y ago
I can't imagine them doing that when they already had an Apple logo symbol built into the font in ROM. They were trying really hard to emphasize the graphical capabilities of the Mac, and using a text abbreviation like that would have felt like a waste of those capabilities.

ksherlock 4y ago

Microsoft has no taste. The Apple IIgs used an Apple icon. https://imgur.com/0FzDRjl https://imgur.com/0FzDRjl

ianai 4y ago
MS not having taste is both a bug and a feature.

JadeNB 4y ago

macOS (even back when it was OS X, and I assume before that) systematically refers to special keys with symbols, not written names. In addition to the CMD symbol, SHIFT is ⇧, CTRL is ^, and ALT/OPT is ⌥.

underwater 4y ago
And they sell keyboards that only use the written names, and not the symbols. Plus make common keyboard shortcuts require multiple modifier keys.
- JadeNB 4y ago
  > And they sell keyboards that only use the written names, and not the symbols. Do they? I thought all Apple-branded keyboards used the symbols (except, as bin_bash points out (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33036804 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33036804), for shift). > Plus make common keyboard shortcuts require multiple modifier keys. You can also change keyboard shortcuts system-wide. It's not an argument against good defaults, but it does allow you to relieve the pain.
MBCook 4y ago
Correct. That’s what it did in System 6 and 7, if I remember correctly. Those were the first/oldest Macs I’ve used.
bin_bash 4y ago
I've always wondered why they don't put the shift symbol on the keyboards when all the other symbols exist
- JadeNB 4y ago
  > I've always wondered why they don't put the shift symbol on the keyboards when all the other symbols exist. My keyboard doesn't have any key for the symbol ⌥ or ⌘, either. Or do you mean that all the other modifier keys on Mac-branded keyboards are labelled with their symbols, whereas shift isn't?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - bin_bash 4y ago
    On my M1 MacBook Pro I see symbols on all modifiers except shift
    - JadeNB 4y ago
      So you meant that the non-shift modifier keys have symbols on them (same for me!), not that there is a key that is intended to produce the symbol that denotes the modifier, right?
- bouke 4y ago
  Some keyboards use icons, others text. See for example this: https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/fi_FI/keyboards/british_notebook.png https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare....

drewzero1 4y ago

I can't imagine them doing that when they already had an Apple logo symbol built into the font in ROM. They were trying really hard to emphasize the graphical capabilities of the Mac, and using a text abbreviation like that would have felt like a waste of those capabilities.