The Five Lights
On a 5251 type terminal, there were five lights to watch for:
(1) System Available light. If lit, this terminal is connected to the S/34 and is receiving information from it.
(2) Message Waiting light. Other users, and the system itself, can send messages to workstations. If lit, there is at least 1 message that has not been seen yet. When a program ends or when the user signs on, the message(s) will be shown.
(3) Insert. The Insert key has been pressed. Characters after the cursor while shift right when text is keyed. Press Insert again to cease Insert Mode.
(4) Caps Lock light. The Caps Lock key has been pressed. All keys pressed will be uppercase. Press Caps Lock again to unlock.
(5) Keyboard Shift light. The Shift key is being pressed. The key pressed simultaneously will be uppercase.
Read more about this topic: IBM System/34
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