Any key
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The Any key is a joking reference to newcomers' confusion about computers.
It pretends that the common computer-instruction phrase "hit any key to continue" — meaning it doesn't matter which key is struck to cause some action to happen — refers to a specific key on the keyboard labeled "Any". Although this seems ludicrous to experienced users of computers, newcomers have been known to be confused by such directions and to search the keyboard, in vain, for the "any key."
"Any key" is one of a number of phrases used by hackers and those knowledgeable about computers to express disdain for those with less knowledge, typified by the descriptive term newbie.
The phrase has entered popular culture in recent years: For example, an episode of The Simpsons TV show called "King-Size Homer" [3F05] shows Homer Simpson humorously searching for the "any key".
The "any key" is also mentioned in Starcraft: Brood War where in a mission near the end of the Terran campaign a marine attempts to operate an enemy computer.
External links
- Compaq FAQ: Where do I find the "Any" key on my keyboard? (http://web14.compaq.com/falco/detail.asp?FAQnum=FAQ2859)
- TPG FAQ: Where is the any key? (http://www.tpg.com.au/helpdesk/faqs.php#Q0.1.1.9)nl:Any key