JargonFile/entries/grind crank.txt
2014-04-26 16:54:15 +01:00

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grind crank
n. , // A mythical accessory to a terminal. A crank on the side of a
monitor, which when operated makes a zizzing noise and causes the computer
to run faster. Usually one does not refer to a grind crank out loud, but
merely makes the appropriate gesture and noise. See grind. Historical note:
At least one real machine actually had a grind crank the R1, a research
machine built toward the end of the days of the great vacuum tube computers,
in 1959. R1 (also known as The Rice Institute Computer (TRIC) and later as
The Rice University Computer (TRUC)) had a single-step/free-run switch for
use when debugging programs. Since single-stepping through a large program
was rather tedious, there was also a crank with a cam and gear arrangement
that repeatedly pushed the single-step button. This allowed one to crank
through a lot of code, then slow down to single-step for a bit when you got
near the code of interest, poke at some registers using the console
typewriter, and then keep on cranking. See
http://www.cs.rice.edu/History/R1/.