The 'status' variable is a boolean value:

	set status

  turns it on and 

	unset status

  turns it off. When set in interactive mode, it will display the queue
  position of your request and the estimated time for completion of the
  request in minutes and seconds.

  The estimated time is an average of the time taken for the previous 10
  similar requests completed by the current server. The queue position is
  determined by the type of request. For example, "exact" matches have
  priorities over all other match types since they are the fasted to
  complete.

  The variable also turns on a moving 'marker' which indicates that the
  system is processing your request.

  Setting this variable has no effect in the email interface.