> I found this out the hard way when I worked at an IBM shop that had key
> to disk "keypunches". The idea was that the keypunchers would type onto
> 8" floppies that the computer thought were decks of 96 column cards (the
> System3 had 96 column cards instead of 80). Then the key operator would
> take the floppy and put it in an 8" floppy "card reader" that "read" the
> deck.
>
> One day one of the keypunchers told me we needed to call the IBM guy
> because her clicker was out. The machines made a horrible clacking noise
> and hers was suddenly silent. I told her that was ridiculous -- that the
> noise was something going on -- maybe with the index sensing -- and that
> if it was quiet something wasn't working right. She said, no it was all
> fine it just didn't click and it slowed her down because of the lack of
> feedback.
>
> I assumed she was just ditzy and called the IBM guy. Nope. They in fact
> had a little "clicker" thing (looked like a doorbell buzzer with no
> bell) and its sole purpose was to make these folks (who were trained on
> 029 keypunches) to feel like they were punching something.
>
> Go figure!
>
> Al Williams
> AWC
> * Floating point A/D
> http://www.al-williams.com/awce/pak9.htm
>
>
>