10 Sep
2009
10 Sep
'09
12:34 p.m.
Speaking of front panels, I've always wondered:
In my days with Burroughs systems, the operator consoles that had
"front panels" and many of their maintenance panels used illuminated
momentary push buttons that toggled on/off; that always struck me
as more intuitive (not to mention faster to set up) than separate lights
and switches.
Granted it would require extra logic to latch the states, but was that
kind of front panel ever used on any of the micros and minis that we
discuss here?
Never sene such a panel on a micro, but HP used them on some their
machines and peripherals. I am pretty suee that's how the panel on the
HP2100A behaves, and I know it's how the panel on the HP6940
multiprogrammer (a versatile I/O system) works, because I restored the
latter a couple of mnths back.
Perhaps it's beacues I got to use the toggle-switch and seaprate lamps
panel first, but I much prefer those ot the illumanted buttons ones. But
I susepct it's very much personal taste.
-tony