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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>alt</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../A.html" title="A"/><link rel="previous" href="alpha-particles.html" title="alpha particles"/><link rel="next" href="alt-bit.html" title="alt bit"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">alt</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="alpha-particles.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">A</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="alt-bit.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="alt"/><dt xmlns="" id="alt"><b>alt</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="pronunciation">/awlt/</span></dt></dt><dd><p> 1. <span class="grammar">n.</span> The alt shift key on an
IBM PC or <a href="../C/clone.html"><i class="glossterm">clone</i></a> keyboard; see
<a href="../B/bucky-bits.html"><i class="glossterm">bucky bits</i></a>, sense 2
(though typical PC usage does not simply set the 0200 bit).</p></dd><dd><p> 2. <span class="grammar">n.</span> The option key on a
Macintosh; use of this term usually reveals that the speaker hacked PCs
before coming to the Mac (see also <a href="../F/feature-key.html"><i class="glossterm">feature key</i></a>,
which is sometimes <span class="emphasis"><em>incorrectly</em></span> called
&#8216;alt&#8217;).</p></dd><dd><p> 3. The <tt class="systemitem">alt</tt> hierarchy on
Usenet, the tree of newsgroups created by users without a formal vote and
approval procedure. There is a myth, not entirely implausible, that
<tt class="systemitem">alt</tt> is acronymic for
&#8220;<span class="quote">anarchists, lunatics, and terrorists</span>&#8221;; but in fact it is
simply short for &#8220;<span class="quote">alternative</span>&#8221;.</p></dd><dd><p> 4. <span class="grammar">n.,obs</span>.
Rare alternate name for the ASCII ESC character (ASCII 0011011).
This use, derives, with the alt key itself, from archaic PDP-10
operating systems, especially <a href="../I/ITS.html"><i class="glossterm">ITS</i></a>.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="alpha-particles.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../A.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="alt-bit.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">alpha particles </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> alt bit</td></tr></table></div></body></html>