How did the SysRq key get onto modern keyboards if it's rarely used?What soviet computer used trinary bits?How many CP/M machines ever shipped?Did any computers use the Z80B?Where was the Willowsoft Overture File System (OFS1) used?Why did tactile-feedback keyboards lose popularity?Why did F1 become the Help Key?Who established the original F1 desktop BIOS key and why did laptops use a different key?Use of E,S,D and X for cursor movementWhy are the symbols on the number keys of PC & Mac keyboards different to ASCII keyboards?Which developer set the precedent for use of the Shift key for safety (or skipping) at startup time?
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How did the SysRq key get onto modern keyboards if it's rarely used?
What soviet computer used trinary bits?How many CP/M machines ever shipped?Did any computers use the Z80B?Where was the Willowsoft Overture File System (OFS1) used?Why did tactile-feedback keyboards lose popularity?Why did F1 become the Help Key?Who established the original F1 desktop BIOS key and why did laptops use a different key?Use of E,S,D and X for cursor movementWhy are the symbols on the number keys of PC & Mac keyboards different to ASCII keyboards?Which developer set the precedent for use of the Shift key for safety (or skipping) at startup time?
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Was the SysRq key ever used on any common operating system?
Google tells me it wasn't. But then how did it get so popular?
history keyboards
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
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show 1 more comment
Was the SysRq key ever used on any common operating system?
Google tells me it wasn't. But then how did it get so popular?
history keyboards
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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1
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
2
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
1
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Was the SysRq key ever used on any common operating system?
Google tells me it wasn't. But then how did it get so popular?
history keyboards
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Was the SysRq key ever used on any common operating system?
Google tells me it wasn't. But then how did it get so popular?
history keyboards
history keyboards
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 8 hours ago
TheAsh
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
TheAshTheAsh
1114 bronze badges
1114 bronze badges
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
TheAsh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
2
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
1
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
1
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
2
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
1
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago
1
1
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
2
2
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
1
1
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
SysRq is popular because the PC AT was popular, and its clones were too. PC clone manufacturers copied all the features of the computers they were cloning, with the exception of BASIC in ROM, and that included SysRq — both the physical key, and its associated handling in ROM (interrupt 0x15 function 0x85).
Any OS or software running on the AT could end up relying on SysRq, so it became entrenched, even though in practice it wasn’t used much.
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
add a comment |
I think you're coming at this kind of backwards. The commonly used keys are commonly used because they're on keyboards and are widely available. Software follows hardware in this instance. The system request key was put there because the hardware designers thought it would be useful, and even if they were wrong, removing keys from the standard keyboard as dictated by whatever IBM was doing would mean introducing potential incompatibilities.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
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Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
SysRq is popular because the PC AT was popular, and its clones were too. PC clone manufacturers copied all the features of the computers they were cloning, with the exception of BASIC in ROM, and that included SysRq — both the physical key, and its associated handling in ROM (interrupt 0x15 function 0x85).
Any OS or software running on the AT could end up relying on SysRq, so it became entrenched, even though in practice it wasn’t used much.
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
add a comment |
SysRq is popular because the PC AT was popular, and its clones were too. PC clone manufacturers copied all the features of the computers they were cloning, with the exception of BASIC in ROM, and that included SysRq — both the physical key, and its associated handling in ROM (interrupt 0x15 function 0x85).
Any OS or software running on the AT could end up relying on SysRq, so it became entrenched, even though in practice it wasn’t used much.
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
add a comment |
SysRq is popular because the PC AT was popular, and its clones were too. PC clone manufacturers copied all the features of the computers they were cloning, with the exception of BASIC in ROM, and that included SysRq — both the physical key, and its associated handling in ROM (interrupt 0x15 function 0x85).
Any OS or software running on the AT could end up relying on SysRq, so it became entrenched, even though in practice it wasn’t used much.
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
SysRq is popular because the PC AT was popular, and its clones were too. PC clone manufacturers copied all the features of the computers they were cloning, with the exception of BASIC in ROM, and that included SysRq — both the physical key, and its associated handling in ROM (interrupt 0x15 function 0x85).
Any OS or software running on the AT could end up relying on SysRq, so it became entrenched, even though in practice it wasn’t used much.
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
47.4k8 gold badges196 silver badges199 bronze badges
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
add a comment |
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
But why was SysRq on the keyboard in the first place on the PC/XT/AT? I think that was the essence of the question.
– Joe
1 hour ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
@Joe it wasn't on the PC/XT, it came with the AT
– Raffzahn
55 secs ago
add a comment |
I think you're coming at this kind of backwards. The commonly used keys are commonly used because they're on keyboards and are widely available. Software follows hardware in this instance. The system request key was put there because the hardware designers thought it would be useful, and even if they were wrong, removing keys from the standard keyboard as dictated by whatever IBM was doing would mean introducing potential incompatibilities.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
I think you're coming at this kind of backwards. The commonly used keys are commonly used because they're on keyboards and are widely available. Software follows hardware in this instance. The system request key was put there because the hardware designers thought it would be useful, and even if they were wrong, removing keys from the standard keyboard as dictated by whatever IBM was doing would mean introducing potential incompatibilities.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
I think you're coming at this kind of backwards. The commonly used keys are commonly used because they're on keyboards and are widely available. Software follows hardware in this instance. The system request key was put there because the hardware designers thought it would be useful, and even if they were wrong, removing keys from the standard keyboard as dictated by whatever IBM was doing would mean introducing potential incompatibilities.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I think you're coming at this kind of backwards. The commonly used keys are commonly used because they're on keyboards and are widely available. Software follows hardware in this instance. The system request key was put there because the hardware designers thought it would be useful, and even if they were wrong, removing keys from the standard keyboard as dictated by whatever IBM was doing would mean introducing potential incompatibilities.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
answered 2 hours ago
SerenttySerentty
685 bronze badges
685 bronze badges
New contributor
Serentty is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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New contributor
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Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
TheAsh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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TheAsh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
What do you mean by "popular"? That it's on all PC-based keyboards today? Or that it's used a lot by modern operating systems?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
@JimNelson that its on nearly all keyboards,
– TheAsh
8 hours ago
You might consider editing your question to reflect that. Also notice you're asking two questions: (a) Was it ever used? and (b) How did it wind up on nearly all keyboards?
– Jim Nelson
8 hours ago
2
I believe its presence on the IBM PC keyboard descended from the 3270 mainframe terminal system, where for SNA-attached terminals it allowed you to send a command to the System Services Control Point. And once an IBM PC keyboard had it, the clones followed suit.
– another-dave
8 hours ago
1
The only piece of software I remember using SysRq was IBM TopView. Hardly anybody ever used TopView, so it didn't matter much.
– Greg Hewgill
4 hours ago