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From: dennisg@felix.UUCP
Newsgroups: talk.bizarre,comp.misc
Subject: Re: What the world needs now
Message-ID: <2982@felix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Jun-87 01:13:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: felix.2982
Posted: Fri Jun 12 01:13:35 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jun-87 19:42:53 EDT
References: <12067@topaz.rutgers.edu> <408@rlvd.UUCP> <557@xn.LL.MIT.EDU>
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Reply-To: dennisg@felix.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
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Keywords: Paranoid computers
Xref: utgpu talk.bizarre:2028 comp.misc:619

In article <557@xn.LL.MIT.EDU> kathy@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (Kathryn Smith) writes:
>	We have nearly succeeded in reaching this level of functionality.  The
>AT&T 3B series of Unix machines have NO power switch.  The shutdown mechanisms
>are all software-controlled.  There is a "on/off" switch on the side of the 
>machine, but all it does is invoke the software.  The only way to force it down
>if the software hangs (and it does occasionally) is to go over to the wall
>outlet and pull the plug.  

Ditto for the Macintosh II, I hear.

In an old science fiction book about computers that come alive ("The
Adolescence of P1"?), the computer tells a programmer about the new field
upgrade that was just installed.  The upgrade allows software control over
the computer's primary power.  "The hard part", said the computer, "was
turning the power back on."