Abstract: A personal computer system provides a digital feedback display panel and supporting software to provide digital computer status feedback for a user. The digital feedback display panel is integrated with a computer housing of the computer system. The supporting software detects status notification messages which are processed and communicated to the digital feedback display panel. The digital feedback display panel provides display feedback to the user based on the detected status notification messages. The display feedback can take the form of status icons and blinking text messages displayed on the digital feedback display panel. Examples of status conditions of the computer system which can be communicated to the user include (i) a connection state of a peripheral device to the computer system, (ii) the computer system is connected to the Internet, (iii) an indication of how many unread e-mails for the computer system are available, and (iv) network time for a server coupled to the computer system.

Abstract: A computing system employs a user feedback mechanism to monitor operating conditions of the computing system and to alert a user to the operating conditions independently of an operating system of the computing system. The user feedback mechanism includes a display panel to display operating condition messages to the user and includes a controller to monitor operating condition signals. Some examples of operating conditions include a connection state of the computing system to the Internet, a connection state of a peripheral device to the computing system, a new e-mail notification message, a new Internet message and atomic time from a network server coupled to the computing system. The user feedback mechanism may include a safety button to signal a power supply to power off the computing system independently of the operating system.