The disastrous consequences of a full-out nuclear war made the Big Red Button a symbol of the annihilation of humanity.

A person in charge may be referred to as 'having his/her finger on The Button'. Therefore, particularly in the early mainframe computer era, people risked disciplinary action for activating the BRS of a production batch processing mainframe in a non-emergency situation (see molly-guard below).ĭuring the 20th-century's Cold War, the 'Big Red Button' (sometimes just 'The Button') referred to a device used to launch nuclear weapons. Because the use of a Big Red Switch would bring down a computer in an uncontrolled fashion, getting the machine up and running again could be a nontrivial and time-consuming task. On some mainframe designs, the emergency power-off switch would immediately physically disable the machine's power supply.

'Pushing the red button' is a common phrase in web sub culture to signalise a unilaterally desire the end of a VOIP call such as on Skype.

The term has also sometimes been used for the power switch on IBM PCs.

In hacker jargon, the shutdown button or power switch on a computer, especially the red 'emergency pull' switch on IBM mainframe operator consoles.

Firing or detonating a weapon, typically a nuclear device.

Help call in emergencies or for disabled persons.

A shut-down switch for catastrophic circumstances to avert further damage or to cause it, e.g., an 'emergency power-off' button.In its more ominous forms, the phrases are often capitalized as the Big Red Button or the Big Red Switch. The purpose of being big and red is for its quick identification and actuation. (June 2009)Ī big red button (BRB), sometimes called a big red switch (BRS), is a real or fictional button with various functions.

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