from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
twirling baton
n.
[PLATO] The overstrike sequence -/|\-/|\- which produces an animated
twirling baton. If you output it with a single backspace between
characters, the baton spins in place. If you output the sequence BS SP
between characters, the baton spins from left to right. If you output
BS SP BS BS between characters, the baton spins from right to left.
This is also occasionally called a twiddle prompt.
The twirling baton was a popular component of animated signature files
on the pioneering PLATO educational timesharing system. The archie
Internet service is perhaps the best-known baton program today; it
uses the twirling baton as an idler indicating that the program is
working on a query. The twirling baton is also used as a boot progress
indicator on several BSD variants of Unix; if it stops, you're
probably going to have a long and trying day.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
twirling baton
<graphics> The overstrike sequence -/|\-/|\- which produces an
animated twirling baton. If you output it with a single
{backspace} between characters, the baton spins in place. If
you output the sequence BS SP between characters, the baton
spins from left to right. If you output BS SP BS BS between
characters, the batton spins from right to left.
The twirling baton was a popular component of animated
signature files on the pioneering {PLATO} educational
{time-sharing} system. The "{archie}" {Internet} service is
perhaps the best-known baton program today; it uses the
twirling baton as an idler indicating that the program is
working on a query.
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-02-23)