What is a kill switch?
A kill switch in an IT context is a mechanism used to shut down or disable a device or program.

The purpose of a kill switch is usually to prevent theft of a machine or data or shut down machinery in an emergency. The degree to which a kill switch limits, alters or stops an action or activity depends on the production, process or program it is intended to protect.

-- https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/kill-switch#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20kill,down%20machinery%20in%20an%20emergency.

On Sat, 29 Apr 2023 09:50:00 -0700 (PDT), bruce bowser
<bruce2bowser@gmail.com> wrote:

>What is a kill switch?
>A kill switch in an IT context is a mechanism used to shut down or disable a device or program.
>
>The purpose of a kill switch is usually to prevent theft of a machine or data or shut down machinery in an emergency. The degree to which a kill switch limits, alters or stops an action or activity depends on the production, process or program it is intended to protect.

Aren't we forgetting personnel?

Also starts with a 'p', so shouldn't interfere with your 'style'.

What's your point? Is there some sort of dispute?
Comparing it to a 'dead man switch'?

RL
>
>-- https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/kill-switch#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20kill,down%20machinery%20in%20an%20emergency.

On Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 2:47:24 PM UTC-4, Ken Blake wrote in alt.usage.english:
> On Sun, 30 Apr 2023 18:09:12 +0100, Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:
>
> >On 29-Apr-23 23:03, Peter Moylan wrote:
> >> On 30/04/23 02:48, bruce bowser wrote:
> >>
> >>> What is a kill switch? A kill switch in an IT context is a mechanism
> >>> used to shut down or disable a device or program.
> >>>
> >>> The purpose of a kill switch is usually to prevent theft of a machine
> >>> or data or shut down machinery in an emergency. The degree to which a
> >>> kill switch limits, alters or stops an action or activity depends on
> >>> the production, process or program it is intended to protect.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/kill-switch#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20kill,down%20machinery%20in%20an%20emergency.
> >>
> >> It's
> >>>
> >> the successor of the big red "emergency stop" button that can be
> >> found anywhere there is large moving machinery. It cuts the power to the
> >> whole area.
> >
> >Not just moving machinery, lots of electrical equipment have them.
> And data centers.

Why not for "mainframes, servers, routers, desktops, laptops and phones?
> >(On one machine I worked on, I think I counted at least 8 different
> >emergency stop buttons.)

On Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 3:41:39 PM UTC-4, bruce bowser wrote:
> > >> the successor of the big red "emergency stop" button that can be
> > >> found anywhere there is large moving machinery. It cuts the power to the
> > >> whole area.
> > >
> > >Not just moving machinery, lots of electrical equipment have them.
> > And data centers.
>
> Why not for "mainframes, servers, routers, desktops, laptops and phones?
>
> > >(On one machine I worked on, I think I counted at least 8 different
> > >emergency stop buttons.)

Where I worked the shunt trip took care of that.

Sometimes inadvertently.

[snip]
>> > >Not just moving machinery, lots of electrical equipment have them.=20
>> > And data centers.=20
>>=20
>> Why not for "mainframes, servers, routers, desktops, laptops and phones?=
>=20
>>=20
>> > >(On one machine I worked on, I think I counted at least 8 different=20
>> > >emergency stop buttons.)

>Where I worked the shunt trip took care of that. =20

And then there's this:

[NYC's Tabloid of Record]

Oops! FDNY contractor presses wrong button, shuts down
NYC's emergency dispatch system
====
rest:
https://nypost.com/2022/10/15/fdny-contractor-presses-wrong-button-shuts-down-emergency-dispatch-system/

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 12:47:13 PM UTC-4, danny burstein wrote:
> [snip]
> >> > >Not just moving machinery, lots of electrical equipment have them.=20
> >> > And data centers.=20
> >>=20
> >> Why not for "mainframes, servers, routers, desktops, laptops and phones?=
> >=20
> >>=20
> >> > >(On one machine I worked on, I think I counted at least 8 different=20
> >> > >emergency stop buttons.)
>
> >Where I worked the shunt trip took care of that. =20
>
> And then there's this:
>
> [NYC's Tabloid of Record]
>
> Oops! FDNY contractor presses wrong button, shuts down
> NYC's emergency dispatch system
> ====
> rest:
> https://nypost.com/2022/10/15/fdny-contractor-presses-wrong-button-shuts-down-emergency-dispatch-system/

I guess we'll never know if that ever happened in the military or in the intel or police forces.