Programmer's key: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Macintosh System Switch}}

{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}}

{{refimprove|date=September 2018}}

[[Image:Macintosh Classic II Left Side Reset Interrupt Switch.jpg|thumb|250px|The interrupt button/programmer's key protruding from the air vent on the left -hand side of an Apple [[Macintosh Classic II]] computer (on the left, withabove athe circlecircular symbol)]]

The '''Programmerprogrammer's Keykey''', or ''interrupt button'', is a button or switch on a [[computer]]Classic whichMac causes an [[asynchronousOS]]-era [[interruptApple Macintosh|Macintosh]] requestsystems, (IRQ)which to be sentjumps to thea [[centralmachine processingcode unit|processormonitor]]. IfThe asymbol [[debugger]]on the button is installed⎉: on{{unichar|2389|html=}}. theOn machine,most it[[68000 isfamily]] activatedbased whenMacintosh thecomputers, an interrupt request iscan processed,also allowingbe thesent userby toholding down the ''command'' viewkey and usually modifypressing the computer's'power'' internalkey memoryon the keyboard. TheThis interrupteffect is ofalso highestsimulated priority,by allowingthe debugging68000 environment of the [[interruptMac handlerOS nanokernel]]s. Thison isPowerPC quitemachines usefuland inthe [[debuggingClassic environment]] software, which is why it gets its name.

Pressing the interrupt button during startup crashes the system and displays the [[Sad Mac]].

The "key" need not always be a button or a switch. On some computers, it is a pinhole into which a straightened [[paperclip]] must be inserted (to prevent accidental activation).

A plastic insert came with [[Macintosh 128K]], [[Macintosh 512K]], [[Macintosh Plus]], and [[Macintosh SE]] computers that could be attached to the exterior of the case and was used to press an interrupt button located on the motherboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hardwaresecrets.com/inside-the-macintosh-plus/4/ |title=Inside the Macintosh Plus |first=Gabriel |last=Torres |date=January 2, 2013 |website=Hardware Secrets |accessdate=September 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/happy-birthday-mac-how-to-recover-from-the-dreaded-bomb-box-error-message |title=Happy Birthday, Mac - How to Recover From the Dreaded Bomb Box Error Message |first=Sandro |last=Cuccia |date=January 25, 2014 |website=The Mac Observer |accessdate=September 18, 2018}}</ref>

This term is used chiefly among [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] programmers, perhaps because the Mac hardware once supported this function. On most [[68000 family]] based Macintosh computers, an interrupt request can also be sent by holding down the ''command'' key and striking the ''power'' key on the keyboard. This effect is also simulated by the 68000 environment of the [[Mac OS nanokernel]] on PowerPC machines and the [[Classic environment]].

Modern Mac hardware no longer includes the interrupt button, as the Mac OS X operating system has integrated debugging options. In addition, Mac OS X's protected memory blocks direct patching of system memory (in order to better secure the system).

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* [[Interrupt]]

* [[Context switch]]

* [[MacsBug]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040620191308if_/http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1136.html |date=June 20, 2004 |title=MicroBug: The ROM Debugger - TN1136}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Programmer's Key}}

[[Category:Computing input devices]]

[[Category:Debugging]]

[[Category:Interrupts]]

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