It can also serve as the simplest user-configurable hardware key. Many hardware keys from 1990s were not that more complex.
I once hooked up a parallel port to a garage door opener to emulate dip switches. Back then garage doors use an 8 pin dip to set your code differently from your neighbors.
How long did it take to try all 256 codes?
Could be a PITA with a DIP switch; they can be fiddley.
To actually broadcast all the codes in IR would take seconds, though.