power-off button and /etc/inittab

[dep]

begin  Net Llama!'s  quote:

| Indeed.  I think this *might* be possible on some sets of hardware
| where the power button isn't a mechanical button, but a electronic
| button, that gets its input trappedc by some kind of intelligenc3
| before the actual command to terminate power reaches the power
| supply.  THis is definitely not a universale thing though.

this *might* require some sort of thing at the bios level; certainly 
such trapping exists, as witness the multitude of notebook machines 
that can be set either to "suspend" or to "hibernate" as responses to 
the switch (which can create so much trouble that unless it's set up 
*perfectly* it will take hours to use that switch to get a usable 
computer back). that having been said, these new case switches which 
are not real switches but switches only when some other set of 
circumstances is met are for the birds most times. there are 
occasions when you want literally to dive for the power switch, and 
on these it doesn't matter, because unless certain criteria are met 
they won't work. i've on several occasions had to yank the power cord 
or in the case of a notebook pull the power cord and the battery. 
power switches might want to be physically protected, so they are not 
accidentally toggled; there might be reason for one of the electronic 
if statement switches, too, but there ought to be a big mechanical 
switch, preferably with a little circuitry to keep it from frying 
anything, that instantly and unquestionably kills the power.
-- 
dep

http://www.linuxandmain.com -- outside the box, barely within the 
envelope, and no animated paperclip anywhere.