dumb terminals
Screens without brains
A dumb terminal is a computer display and keyboard that has no processing power of its own—it simply sends input to and displays output from a central computer.
The term distinguishes these basic interfaces from "smart" or "intelligent" terminals that can perform some local processing.
Before personal computers, office workers used dumb terminals connected to a mainframe.
The concept persists in thin clients and browser-based applications where processing happens on remote servers.
- keyboardArray of input keys
- green screenSolid backdrop for compositing
- monitorDisplay or supervisor
- teletypewriterElectromechanical text transmission device
- inputData received for processing
output · mainframe · interface · legacy systems · computing · TTY · serial port · command-line interface · data entry · ANSI · data · teletext · remote access · monochrome display · function keys · cursor · network protocol · technologies
dumb terminalsworkstations
Dedicated task positions
personal computers · PCs · desktop computers · microcomputers · minicomputers
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