
How we got the unusual symbol used for the Mac menu command key - acangiano
http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Swedish_Campground.txt
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adimitrov
It's actually interesting, because Job's complaint about "wearing out" the
Apple logo with over-exposure is a well known problem in design… and, well,
propaganda, too.

The Nazis had a similar problem towards the end of the war: absolutely
everything they produced was adorned with a swastika. They called that
phenomenon "Hakenkreutzkitsch" (swastika kitsch)

Just to be correct, because fanbois are easily upset: I'm in no way comparing
Apple's marketing to 3rd Reich propaganda, instead I'm trying to show that
Jobs made a _very good_ call here: it's a well-known problem, an old one at
that. You lose the power of your symbol, its special meaning, and
recognizability.

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mitjak
That, and it got tiring to explain to customers to "press Command+C to copy"
only to hear back "Command? Oh, the Apple key?"

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philthy
This is not just used in Northern Europe it is sometimes used on American maps
to indicate places of interests when there is already a heavy amount of key
symbols used. This is a great read and its no surprise Susan Kare referenced a
international symbol dictionary, a mark of a true designer using a
recognizable and readable symbol for a very important command, a true genius.
If you swap out historic with place of interest to "copy" it makes a lot more
sense. I wish people would take this care in designing symbols today, I've
seen some freakish ones as of late on mobile phones, and especially touch
devices. Have we forgotten a touch button is still a command button?

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bech
I can see how you would connect it to a campground, but actually, in danish
and swedish, its the sign for a Historic site.

Thats also the reason why ppl find it very very wierd in scandinavia.. why to
copy a file, do i press "historic site" + c???

evidence
[http://www.kulturarv.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/kulturarv/fort...](http://www.kulturarv.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/kulturarv/fortidsminder/storstensgrave/Kjephoej_Skilt.jpg)

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p0ppe
Officially "Sevärdhet" ("Place of interest") in Swedish, doesn't have to be a
historic site.

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JeanPierre
Same in Norway, and I assume this is how these signs are used throughout the
Nordic countries. "Severdighet" could also be roughly translated into "tourist
attractions", as they are mostly used for that.

<http://i.imgur.com/0jdn2.jpg>

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mixmastamyk
Now in Unicode: ⌘ 'PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN' (U+2318)

<http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2318/index.htm>

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kapupetri
We had these symbols in our coins before which to EURO

[http://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/countrycoins/coins/F...](http://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/countrycoins/coins/F/finland01.html)

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adamc
Did they mean something?

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p0ppe
The symbol is used in Finnish traffic signs as well, with the same meaning as
in Sweden - place of interest.

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presto8
Interesting history!

Although I question whether a special symbol is even needed. The key in
question already has the word "Command" written on it. Adding the symbol seems
redundant and confusing, especially since it is not a universally known
symbol. And the drop down menus could easily use an abbreviation, for example,
"Cmd+Q" instead of ⌘Q.

Especially when used in combinations, I certainly find it a lot easier to read
something like "Cmd+Alt+C" instead of all the little symbols jammed together.

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troymc
This story also explains something else for me:

I use the same keyboard, monitor and mouse with my Mac and my Windows machine.
To make it easy to switch between them, I have a KVM switch. My keyboard is a
Windows keyboard. Until now, I had wondered why my KVM switch maps the Windows
key to the Mac's command key. Now I know: The Mac commmand key used to be an
apple... the Microsoft logo maps to the Apple logo (historically).

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johnthedebs
Small technicality: It isn't your KVM that's doing the mapping, but the OS
that's interpreting the key this way. I believe the keyboards send the same
signal.

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ltamake
Kinda neat to realise that the Mac is part-Swedish. :D

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EGreg
Exactly what I thought before reading :)

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thought_alarm
I guess this means we actually have three ways to describe a keyboard
shortcut: Command + C, Open-Apple + C, Campground + C.

