plokta
/plok't*/ Press Lots Of Keys To Abort. To press random keys in an attempt to get
some response from the system. One might plokta when the abort procedure for a
program is not known, or when trying to figure out if the system is just
sluggish or really hung. Plokta can also be used while trying to figure out any
unknown key sequence for a particular operation. Someone going into "plokta
mode" usually places both hands flat on the keyboard and mashes them down,
hoping for some useful response.
A slightly more directed form of plokta can often be seen in mail messages or
Usenet articles from new users - the text might end with
^X^C
q
quit
:q
^C
end
x
exit
ZZ
^D
?
help
as the user vainly tries to find the right exit sequence, with the
incorrect tries piling up at the end of the message.
[Jargon File]
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