Yeah, right under the Print Screen key.
Hey, I’ve got SysRq, Scroll Lock and Pause/Break. I haven’t got a clue what any of them do.
and what’s this key?
hang I’ll give it a go,
NNNNNOOOOOOO AAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!
ANI doesn’t quite fit into what I do- that’s a dial tone protocol, isn’t it? I provision & troubleshoot switched data (fast packet) networks. LODN is a fiber (FDDI) ring.
And why did some keyboards go from the huge enter key to the little piss-ass one that you can hardly find?
Yours truly,
aha
System Request is a function used in IBM (and possibly other, but I make my living on Big Blue’s iron) midrange systems. Issuing a system request interrupts the current job and allows running other functions or to start another task. The interrupted task is on hold until you toggle back it.
Now, why does your PC have a Sys Rq key when it has no system request function?
I’m not certain, but have two WAGs.
Guess # 1: PC get used a fair amount to act as terminals on midrange and mainframe systems. When they are talking to the big box, they run emulation programs that make them act like 5250 or 3270 type terminals. Guess which mainframe function most of these emulation programs will map the Sys Rq key to? That’s right, the System Request function. Since this is a commonly used special function, PC keyboard makers have actually labeled the key most commonly used for that function to make it easier for the users to find and remember.
Guess #2: Since the original IBM PC keyboard used a key layout that was identical to the then current 5250 type terminal keyboard (some keys were labeled differently and some had different functions, but the physical layout of the keys was a direct copy of a 5251 terminal), the Sys Rq key was included to allow easy use of the PC as a 5250 type terminal, and it has just hung on from there.
Ugly