Dictionary - Definition of BLINKENLIGHTS

Specialty Definition: BLINKENLIGHTS

Domain	Definition
Computing	Blinkenlights /blink'n-li:tz/ n. [common] Front-panel diagnostic lights on a computer, esp. a dinosaur. Now that dinosaurs are rare, this term usually refers to status lights on a modem, network hub, or the like. This term derives from the last word of the famous blackletter-Gothic sign in mangled pseudo-German that once graced about half the computer rooms in the English-speaking world. One version ran in its entirety as follows: ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten. This silliness dates back at least as far as 1959 at Stanford University and had already gone international by the early 1960s, when it was reported at London University's ATLAS computing site. There are several variants of it in circulation, some of which actually do end with the word `blinkenlights'. In an amusing example of turnabout-is-fair-play, German hackers have developed their own versions of the blinkenlights* poster in fractured English, one of which is reproduced here: ATTENTION This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment. Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is allowed for die experts only! So all the "lefthanders" stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working intelligencies. Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked anderswhere! Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights. See also geef. Old-time hackers sometimes get nostalgic for blinkenlights because they were so much more fun to look at than a blank panel. Sadly, very few computers still have them (the three LEDs on a PC keyboard certainly don't count). The obvious reasons (cost of wiring, cost of front-panel cutouts, almost nobody needs or wants to interpret machine-register states on the fly anymore) are only part of the story. Another part of it is that radio-frequency leakage from the lamp wiring was beginning to be a problem as far back as transistor machines. But the most fundamental fact is that there are very few signals slow enough to blink an LED these days! With slow CPUs, you could watch the bus register or instruction counter tick, but at 33/66/150MHz it's all a blur. Despite this, a couple of relatively recent computer designs of note have featured programmable blinkenlights that were added just because they looked cool. The Connection Machine, a 65,536-processor parallel computer designed in the mid-1980s, was a black cube with one side covered with a grid of red blinkenlights; the sales demo had them evolving life patterns. A few years later the ill-fated BeBox (a personal computer designed to run the BeOS operating system) featured twin rows of blinkenlights on the case front. When Be, Inc. decided to get out of the hardware business in 1996 and instead ported their OS to the PowerPC and later to the Intel architecture, many users severly suffered from the absence of their beloved blinkenlights. Before long an external version of the blinkenlights driven by a PC serial port became available; there is some sort of plot symmetry in the fact that it was assembled by a German. Finally, a version updated for the Internet has been seen on news.admin.net-abuse.email: ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! Das Internet is nicht fuer gefingerclicken und giffengrabben. Ist easy droppenpacket der routers und overloaden der backbone mit der spammen und der me-tooen. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das mausklicken sichtseeren keepen das bandwit-spewin hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das cursorblinken. This newest version partly reflects reports that the word `blinkenlights' is (in 1999) undergoing something of a revival in usage, but applied to networking equipment. The transmit and receive lights on routers, activity lights on switches and hubs, and other network equipment often blink in visually pleasing and seemingly coordinated ways. Although this is different in some ways from register readings, a tall stack of Cisco equipment or a 19-inch rack of ISDN terminals can provoke a similar feeling of hypnotic awe, especially in a darkened network operations center or server room. Source: Jargon File.
Wikipedic	Blinkenlights is a hackers neologism for diagnostic lights on old mainframe computers and modern network hardware. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.		Top

Common Expressions: BLINKENLIGHTS

Expressions	Definition
Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute	The Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute was established in 1997 to preserve historical computing devices. Its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington. Some of its collection is on display at VintageTech in Oakland, California, and the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. (references)
Project Blinkenlights	Project Blinkenlights was created by the German Chaos Computer Club in 2001 as a celebration of its 20th birthday. A light installation in the Haus des Lehrers building at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin transformed its front into a giant black and white low-resolution computer screen. Some novel uses of the screen are for people to call a number and play Pong via mobile phone or display animations sent in by the public. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.		Top

Extended Definition: BLINKENLIGHTS

Blinkenlights

Blinkenlights is a hacker's neologism for diagnostic lights on old mainframe computers and modern network hardware. The Jargon File gives the following etymology:

This term derives from the last word of the famous blackletter-Gothic sign in mangled mock German that once graced about half the computer rooms in the English-speaking world. One version ran in its entirety as follows.

ACHTUNG!

ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!

DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.

IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.

ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN.

This "silliness" dates back to least as far as 1955 at IBM and had already gone international by the early 1960s, when it was reported at the University of London's ATLAS computing site. There are several variants of it in circulation, some of which actually do end with the word blinkenlights.

A person with at least basic knowledge of German would glean more sense from these convoluted words. The entire point of these signs was their humorously incorrect language.

A German speaker with a rudimentary command of English (or vice versa) might interpret the text to be approximately:

ATTENTION!

ALL TOURISTS AND NON-TECHNICAL ONLOOKERS!

THIS COMPUTER IS NOT FOR FINGER-POKING OR GRABBING ONTO! OTHERWISE IT IS EASY TO SNAP THE SPRING-WORK, BLOW FUSES, AND POP CORKS WITH SPITTING SPARKS.

IT IS NOT TO BE WORKED [operated] BY DUMB-HEADS [idiots]. RUBBER-NECKING SIGHTSEERS MUST KEEP THEIR COTTON-PICKING HANDS IN THEIR POCKETS.

SO RELAX AND WATCH THE BLINKING LIGHTS.

The sign is also reported to have been seen on an Electron microscope at the Cavendish Laboratory in the 1950s. Such pseudo-German parodies were common in Allied machine shops during and following World War II, and an example photocopy is shown in the Jargon File.

The Jargon File also mentions that German hackers have developed their own versions of the blinkenlights poster, in fractured English:

ATTENTION

This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment. Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is allowed for die experts only!

So all the “lefthanders” stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working intelligencies. Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked anderswhere!

Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights.

Actual blinkenlights

With dramatically rising CPU frequencies, the traditional "blinkenlights" soon became useless for "eyeball diagnostics". Still, there are a number of notable later uses of the term.

The Connection Machine, a 65,536-processor parallel computer designed in the mid-1980s, was a black cube with one side covered with a grid of red blinkenlights; the sales demo had them evolving Conway's Game of Life patterns.

The CPU load monitors on the front of BeBoxes were also called “blinkenlights”.

This word gave its name to several projects, including screen savers, hardware gadgets, and other nostalgic things. Some notable enterprises include Project Blinkenlights and the Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute.

Many Dell computers have a set of blinkenlights near the PS/2 keyboard plug or rear USB ports (for desktops), or on the front fascia (for servers). It is a set of four bi-color lights for diagnostic purposes (e.g., video card failure, memory failure, etc.).

Ethernet NICs, external modems, and similar devices generally have at least a pair of blinkenlights indicating data being sent and received. Older modems from the 1990s had a dozen or so blinkenlights on the front, indicating state such as whether the phone was on or off the hook.

External links

Blinkenlights entry in the Jargon file
Loren Petrich's Grab Bag – contains a GIF rendering of the Blinkenlichten in blackletter

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Blinkenlights". Image Credit.
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Topics by Level of Interest: BLINKENLIGHTS
Topics sorted by level of Interest	Level (1=low, 600=high)	Topics sorted Alphabetically	Level (1=low, 600=high)
Blinkenlights	8	Blinkenlights	8
Project Blinkenlights	5	Blinkenlights (alternative meanings)	2
Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute	3	Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute	3
Blinkenlights (alternative meanings)	2	Project Blinkenlights	5
Source: the editor, created by/for EVE to gauge likely levels of human interest in linguistically triggered topics (compiled across various sources, such as Wikipedia and specialty expression glosses).