🚀 go-pugleaf

We've heard stories of people who didn't know what a shift key or an "any" key
was.  Well, I stumbled into the opposite problem last weekend.

I was in a library using a catalogue-searching service, which is quickly
replacing card catalogues in all libraries.  These, as you probably know, are
menu-driven, barbed-wire programs in the 1970's style, and they are REALLY
aimed at the lowest common denominator -- you are expected to know NOTHING
about computers.  (But since they don't help you with the concepts behind the
search algorithms, this just means they're just lugubrious as well as
useless).  Sorry to get carried away...

Anyway, this program was prompting me with messages like

	Now select BROWSE or START OVER

and I was trying all kinds of uppercase and lowercase combinations of B's and
S's and escape key and what have you, always getting beeped.  Finally I
glanced at the function keys at the top of the keyboard.  They were neatly
labeled (not just masking tape or keycaps, but factory-printed) "Start Over",
"Browse", .....

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Andrew Oram                            Concurrent Computer Corporation
(I don't represent Concurrent; this message represents my own opinion)
Digital Communications Route: andyo@westford.ccur.com.{harvard,uunet,petsd}
                              {harvard,uunet,petsd}!masscomp!andyo
Analog Communications Route:  (508) 392-2865

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