color or a slow flash rate as will be understood the administrator or manager may designate the significance to be attached to the network communication with the user being instructed in the appropriate response to the signals which arrive the greater the degree of urgency the quicker the user should respond by selective activation of the away button to signal through the network interface the initiation of an interval of non use of the system fig2 and 4 illustrate implementations comparable to that described to this point in a notebook system a handheld system and a cell phone respectively in each view an away button is shown at 25 35 and 45 respectively fig5 shows a display such as may be generated by any of the systems of fig1 through 5 here the away button is implemented by software which drives the display of an element 55 displayed visibly to a user on the display 51 the away button may be selectively activated by the user by using a pointing device to move a cursor over the element 55 or where a touch screen is employed as the display by touching the button element with a stylus or finger with the display implementation signaling from the administrator or manager may cause a change in.