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]