Why "console keys" are called so?

[drac030]

Hi guys

 

Could anyone of you explain why the following keys: START, SELECT, OPTION, and probably also HELP, RESET, and F1-F4, are sometimes referenced as "console keys"?

[Rybags]

Most likely because in the early days they were almost exclusively used by game cartridges. Also, most computers had fairly basic keyboards.

 

And most consoles of the era had buttons with similar functions.

 

And, from a programmers point of view, Start/Select/Option are scanned via different means to the main keys.

[drac030]

Thank you for the reply, but - and this is what I forgot to write - I am asking for a reply from someone who knows, and not someone who guesses.

[Rybags]

Well, someone who knows would probably be Nolan Bushnell, or a manager or engineer working for the original Atari around the late 1970's.

 

Or, Jay Miner who could be regarded as the father of the machine, but he's been dead for some time now.

 

Or, maybe someones scanned in the owners manuals from the 400 or 800 system. I only have the printed version, for the 800XL.

[ZylonBane]

I always assumed they were called console keys because they're... you know... located on the console.

[danwinslow]

The origins of the term 'console' for computer interface keyboards go back way before atari...back to the days of TTY and switch banks.

[Artlover]

Because they are dedicated keys that specificly relate to console functions and can interupt a running proccess. Console keys are scanned differently the rest of the keyboard matrix having a higher system priority.

 

I know in the case of the Commodore computers, you could send a few pokes to disable it's console keys. Not sure if the Atari offers the same abaility to disable it's console keys.

 

F keys are not console keys, but function keys. Keys that are programmable. Custom input, macros, whatever. They are scanned during the normal keyboard scan, unlike console keys.

[Rybags]

That description sounds good.

 

Almost every game out there constantly checks the console buttons in VBlank, and often START, OPTION or SELECT will terminate the game in progress.

 

But with the 8-bit, the OS never scans the console keys, other than during the cold start (or when Self-test is running).

 

With IBM mainframes, "console" refers to a 3270 type terminal which can issue OS commands, so the origin could well coincide with the first CRT terminals.

[Bryan]

Because they are dedicated keys that specificly relate to console functions and can interupt a running proccess. Console keys are scanned differently the rest of the keyboard matrix having a higher system priority.

 

Except they cannot stop a running process (except for RESET which generates a NMI on the 400/800 and a hardware reset on the XL/XE - I guess Atari got tired of the RESET key failing when the CPU locked up). They must be read from a GTIA register.

 

I know in the case of the Commodore computers, you could send a few pokes to disable it's console keys. Not sure if the Atari offers the same abaility to disable it's console keys.

 

Nope. Since they're read from the GTIA register CONSOL, anything that reads that address will get the state of the keys. You can make the keys outputs instead of inputs, which I think will make them appear "stuck down."

 

Here's the reason Atari calls them CONSOLE KEYS:

 

GTIA was designed to be the graphics output chip for both a game console and a computer device. Atari ended up scrapping the game console idea when Ray Kassar decided to devote all resources to competing with the Apple computer (of course, the 5200 happened later when other game console projects fizzled). GTIA was given 4 general purpose I/O pins that could be used as simple inputs on a game console in lieu of a keyboard. In the 400/800, these pins retained the Console name and were tied to 3 buttons that were separated from the normal keyboard for easy access (The RESET button is not tied to GTIA, and the last console bit is used as the internal speaker output).

 

They are the easy-access keys for people using the computer just to play simple games, as a console.

 

-Bry

Edited January 12, 2006 by Bryan

[Artlover]

Interesting. So it really is using "console" keys as in game console. Not exactly the standard defination of the phrase for computers in general, but I guess it works too.

 

I really need to get all my atari stuff out of storage, most of all the 800 techincal reference manual. Ah well, one day, one day.....

[ijor]

Since they're read from the GTIA register CONSOL, anything that reads that address will get the state of the keys. You can make the keys outputs instead of inputs, which I think will make them appear "stuck down."

 

Yes, if you write one to the corresponding bits, you pull them down. And because they are active low, they read back as if the switch is pressed.

 

The RESET button is not tied to GTIA

 

Start, Option and Select are the only actual Console keys hardware wise. Reset is obviouslly special, but also Help, and the F-Keys aren't tied to GTIA, but to Pokey. (Guess most techies already know that, but seems nobody mentioned this in the thread).