<s>
The	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
is	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
key	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
prefix	O
to	O
invoke	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
single-key	O
editing	O
and	O
formatting	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usually	O
located	O
in	O
the	O
top-left	O
position	O
of	O
the	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
on	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
VT100	B-Device
,	O
</s>
<s>
it	O
is	O
the	O
signature	O
element	O
of	O
a	O
consistent	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
implemented	O
by	O
Digital	O
Equipment	O
Corporation	O
across	O
multiple	O
product	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
used	O
within	O
WPS	O
,	O
EDT	B-Application
,	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
common	O
VAX	B-Device
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
key	O
,	O
typically	O
located	O
as	O
the	O
upper	O
leftmost	O
key	O
on	O
the	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
on	O
different	O
terminals	O
,	O
was	O
not	O
necessarily	O
colored	O
gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Digital	O
Equipment	O
Corporation	O
(	O
DEC	O
)	O
terminals	O
would	O
include	O
keyboards	B-Device
where	O
the	O
gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
was	O
labeled	O
PF1	O
,	O
as	O
on	O
the	O
VT100	B-Device
and	O
VT200	O
,	O
or	O
was	O
colored	O
blue	O
,	O
as	O
on	O
the	O
VT52	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
some	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
the	O
normal	O
function	O
of	O
a	O
key	O
would	O
be	O
labeled	O
on	O
the	O
lower	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
key	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
alternate	O
function	O
activated	O
with	O
the	O
GOLD	B-Device
key	I-Device
would	O
be	O
labeled	O
above	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gold	B-Device
Key	I-Device
is	O
used	O
to	O
invoke	O
single-key	O
functions	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
located	O
on	O
either	O
the	O
main	O
keyboard	B-Device
or	O
the	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
WPS-8	B-Protocol
word	O
processing	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
keyboard	B-Device
key	O
is	O
marked	O
"	O
CENTR	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
gold	O
lettering	O
,	O
on	O
its	O
front	O
surface	O
;	O
the	O
keystrokes	O
invoke	O
that	O
word	O
processing	O
function	O
to	O
center	O
the	O
current	O
line	O
of	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
is	O
a	O
prefix	O
key	O
,	O
not	O
a	O
modifier	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
modifier	B-Device
key	I-Device
would	O
be	O
pressed	O
and	O
held	O
while	O
a	O
second	O
key	O
is	O
pressed	O
;	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
is	O
pressed	O
and	O
released	O
before	O
a	O
second	O
key	O
is	O
pressed	O
and	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
that	O
sense	O
,	O
DEC	O
and	O
compatible	O
software	O
uses	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
in	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
that	O
Emacs	B-Application
uses	O
the	O
escape	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
base	O
model	O
VT50	B-Application
terminal	O
was	O
equipped	O
with	O
a	O
main	O
keyboard	B-Device
only	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
had	O
no	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
model	O
VT50H	O
added	O
a	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
,	O
including	O
three	O
unlabeled	O
keys	O
whose	O
functions	O
would	O
be	O
determined	O
by	O
whatever	O
program	O
was	O
running	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Located	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
left	O
of	O
the	O
keypad	O
,	O
these	O
were	O
later	O
named	O
"	O
PF	O
"	O
keys	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
convention	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
them	O
,	O
,	O
became	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
VT50H	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
was	O
of	O
limited	O
usefulness	O
in	O
editing	O
because	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
receiving	O
its	O
input	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
keypad	O
's	O
keys	O
were	O
indistinguishable	O
from	O
their	O
equivalents	O
on	O
the	O
main	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
VT52	B-Application
terminal	O
added	O
an	O
alternate	O
keypad	O
mode	O
in	O
which	O
all	O
keypad	O
keys	O
would	O
send	O
distinct	O
character	O
codes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
introduction	O
to	O
a	O
1990	O
DEC	O
oral	O
history	O
presentation	O
,	O
Robert	O
Everett	O
,	O
Fellow	O
of	O
the	O
Computer	O
History	O
Museum	O
,	O
credited	O
John	O
T	O
.	O
(	O
Jack	O
)	O
Gilmore	O
with	O
"	O
designing	O
Digital	O
's	O
gold	O
keyboard	B-Device
interface	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
using	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
keyboard	B-Device
functions	O
was	O
developed	O
across	O
multiple	O
generations	O
of	O
DEC	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PDP-8	B-Device
processors	O
ran	O
the	O
WPS-8	B-Protocol
word	O
processing	O
software	O
package	O
on	O
several	O
models	O
of	O
one	O
-	O
and	O
two-user	O
dedicated	O
"	O
word	O
station	O
"	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PDP-11	B-Device
processors	O
running	O
RT-11	B-Operating_System
used	O
the	O
KED/KEX	O
editors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VAXen	B-Device
running	O
VMS	B-Operating_System
used	O
the	O
EDT	B-Application
editor	O
,	O
initially	O
with	O
either	O
the	O
VT52	B-Application
or	O
the	O
VT100	B-Device
(	O
which	O
have	O
slightly	O
different	O
keypads	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alpha	B-Device
AXP	I-Device
RISC	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
running	O
OpenVMS	B-Operating_System
also	O
used	O
EDT	B-Application
,	O
often	O
with	O
later-model	O
terminals	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
VT220VT420	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EDT	B-Application
recognizes	O
an	O
additional	O
usage	O
for	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
,	O
to	O
enter	O
a	O
repeat	O
count	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Repeat	O
counts	O
also	O
apply	O
to	O
keypad	O
editing	O
commands	O
,	O
but	O
if	O
such	O
a	O
command	O
itself	O
requires	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
must	O
be	O
pressed	O
again	O
before	O
the	O
command	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
assuming	O
a	O
VT100	B-Device
keypad	O
,	O
perform	O
the	O
PASTE	O
editing	O
command	O
(	O
once	O
)	O
,	O
while	O
performs	O
PASTE	O
four	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VAX	B-Device
and	O
Alpha	B-Device
VMS	B-Operating_System
systems	O
supported	O
the	O
ALL-IN-1	B-Application
office	O
application	O
suite	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
WPS-Plus	B-Application
word	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
products	O
have	O
been	O
produced	O
to	O
maintain	O
compatibility	O
with	O
both	O
the	O
variety	O
of	O
legacy	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
host	O
systems	O
and	O
with	O
the	O
expertise	O
and	O
preferences	O
of	O
the	O
many	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
that	O
DEC	O
was	O
selling	O
VAX-based	O
WPS-Plus	B-Application
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
,	O
Exceptional	O
Business	O
Solutions	O
of	O
Culver	O
City	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
sold	O
a	O
PC-based	O
word	O
processor	O
named	O
WPS-PC	O
,	O
"	O
designed	O
for	O
users	O
who	O
have	O
experience	O
with	O
the	O
DEC	O
family	O
of	O
Gold-key	O
word	O
processors	O
and	O
would	O
rather	O
fight	O
than	O
switch.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
personal	O
computers	O
began	O
to	O
replace	O
serial	O
terminals	O
even	O
in	O
their	O
core	O
role	O
of	O
talking	O
to	O
central	O
host	O
computers	O
,	O
DEC	O
itself	O
supplied	O
its	O
new	O
Rainbow	B-Device
PC	O
with	O
a	O
Gold	B-Device
Key	I-Device
Country	O
Kit	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
VAX	B-Device
ALL-IN-1	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Emacs	B-Application
offers	O
an	O
EDT	B-Application
emulator	O
package	O
which	O
supports	O
both	O
physical	O
and	O
virtual	O
VT100-style	O
terminals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
slight	O
complication	O
for	O
virtual	O
(	O
xterm-style	O
)	O
terminals	O
which	O
run	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
a	O
host	O
PC	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
Num	B-Device
lock	I-Device
key	I-Device
cannot	O
be	O
remapped	O
to	O
the	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
at	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
Emacs	B-Application
;	O
instead	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
remapped	O
at	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
the	O
X	B-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
(	O
instructions	O
provided	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
the	O
latest	O
stable	O
release	O
of	O
Emacs	B-Application
(	O
2013	O
)	O
,	O
EDT	B-Application
and	O
Gold	B-Device
key	I-Device
support	O
is	O
a	O
current	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
PC	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
has	O
only	O
17	O
keys	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
VT100	B-Device
terminal	O
and	O
LK201	B-Device
keyboard	B-Device
each	O
have	O
18	O
(	O
not	O
including	O
arrow	O
keys	O
)	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
the	O
VT52	B-Application
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
has	O
19	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
