[comp.lang.asm370] PA2 disable....

SYSTU002@GRCRUN11.BITNET (Stanley Fragakis) (10/13/89)

Here is the problem:

Recently we installed a couple of terminals in the library, running a program
to access the 'books' database we have. A lot of inexperinced ppl user the prog
and while 'playing around' with the keyboard trying things around they HIT
the PA2 key. They panic right after the CMS SUBSET message comes up and they
think 'they did something bad'. Is there anyway to disable the PA2 key ?
We tried something with Diag '54'x but I dont think it's what we want.
The library program is written in COBOL.
Thanks...

   Stan

EM300131@VMTECMEX.BITNET (10/19/89)

Stanley,

Why don't You try:

CP TERM BRKKEY NONE

I hope this helps You.

Alejandro M.

ASPRMH@UOFT01.BITNET (Rob Hamilton) (10/19/89)

This has been an interesting discussion to watch.  It was my impression from
the work I have done with several packages that use DIAG58 to handle full-
screen I/O that anything outside of PA1 is reflected directly to the program,
and PA1 can be handled by setting a bit in the CCW.  In fact, there is one
package I work with directly in which this was precisely the problem; if they
had control of the screen and the user (inadvertently?) pressed PA2, the
user was immediately sent to the CMS subset, which made me particularly IRATE.
I complained to the software vendor, who sent me a zap (which, being the
hacker I am directed me to the area where all this stuff was done...) and I
found that they merely checked to see whether PA2 was pressed, and issued the
SUBSET command to send the user to the CMS subset.  Bypassing this check
allowed the software to treat the condition as if the user had pressed the
CLEAR key, which is effectively a no-op in this situation.  Is there something
else I am missing here????


R;