To get this behaviour always add the following two lines to your /etc/inputrc
"\M-[A":history-search-backward "\M-[B":history-search-forward
Can anyone pls explain... what does "\M-[A" translate to in terms of keyboard keys?? What's a META key?
Sun keyboards (and other Unix systems?) have <Control>, <Alt>, <Meta> (a diamond), <Compose> (a circle), and <Alt Graph> keys. Old unix apps use the Meta name. Noprmal the PC keyboar maps the Alt key to <Meta>, since you should have a left and right <Meta> key, and that's what PC have. New systems use the 3 extra "windows" keys for (true) <Alt>, <Compose> and <AltGr> (or can depending oon the X key map).
Newer apps, or Windows ports, use the name Alt, even though they use the <Meta> key code. (like Mozilla and GNOME).
I saw a lot of \e or "\e[3~" but have no idea how to invoke them.
\e is most likely <esc>, the escape key. That's old termal control codes. The one you mentioned is probably VT52. type <esc>, then '[', then '3', then '~'.
pls elaborate or tell me where to look for more into.
For escape codes look for terminal documentation. For <meta> and <alt> look for xkeyboard documentation.
-Thomas
