terminal inventiveness (was Re: an odd question

From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay_at_cs.umn.edu>
Date: Thu Aug 16 20:43:09 2001

> The question at hand:
>
> > > Which leads to this question. Anybody know who
> > > invented the video terminal?
>
> At 06:34 PM 8/16/01 -0500, Lawrence LeMay wrote:
> >Impossible to answer unless you define the question much more precisely.
> >For example, what is a video terminal? A video tube version of a
> >printing terminal, with no cursor positioning? Or is it the first
> >cursor positioning in a stand alone terminal? etc, etc.
>
> This used to differentiate between "dumb" terminals and "smart" terminals.
> However, many systems (even the PDP-1) often had a CRT of some sort
> attached to the main system that was eventually used to display some
> messages. Further, there was the plethora of "glass TTYs" that came out in
> the late 60's with the advent of TTL logic.
>
> So here are some specific questions that might be interesting to answer:
>
> Lets define a TERMINAL to be a cathode ray tube that displays characters
> and a keyboard input unit that communicates through a serial channel (can
> be coax, RS-232, current loop, etc.)
> 1) What was the first example of a TERMINAL (See above)?

Well, ignoring the peanut gallery's yelling about vector graphic type
terminals, or oscilloscopes... or the dedicated console for mainframes,
etc, etc...

Fairly early examples are:

2/70 TEC inc. model 410/415, 420/425, 430/435

4/70 Applied Digital Data Systems (ADDS) Consul 920

5/70 Univac Uniscope 100

10/70 Hazeltine 2000

>
> 2) When was a processor (micro, bit-slice, whatever) first
> DEDICATED to operating a terminal?
>
> 3) What is the first terminal that could manipulate its own
> buffer memory in response to a "control" code?
>
> 4) What is the first terminal that could display graphics and
> text? (either alternately or simultaneously)
>
> I'm guessing that the Lear-Seigler machines were near the front...

Nope. The ADM-1A didnt come out until 8/73.

-Lawrence (I only checked 87 terminal vendors, and probably this
           data doesnt include anything from the 60's) LeMay
Received on Thu Aug 16 2001 - 20:43:09 BST