In article <45AE82C0.8882.1E4CEDCA at cclist.sydex.com>,
"Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> writes:
On 17 Jan 2007 at 19:48, Richard wrote:
This completely misses the point that the
terminal is the tactile
physical interface for the user. When you can emulate that (utility
fog, anyone?) let me know.
You mean as in "keyboard"?
Yes, that's the part you touch generally speaking. But terminals also
had tablets and mice as attachments as well. Granted, not your
average terminal, but the graphics terminals often had support for
these. Hell, the Megatek I purchased from Patrick has a joystick
*and* dial valuators built into the keyboard as well as a whole slew
of other stuff.
There are the printing terminals that you sit at like the ASR33, the
LA36, LA120 and there's one made by Data General that is a pedestal,
but I don't know the model # on that one.
For CRTs there are the integral units like the ADM3/ADM5, the VT52, the
Z9/Z19 and hey, while we're at it, the Basic/Four Model 7250. Making the
keyboard an integrated part of the system cabinet changes the experience
because of the limited ergonomics. It forces you to sit with your face
right in the screen, filling your field of view even if its only 80x24.
The detachable keyboard CRTs change this dynamic entirely.
Then there are the portable terminals like the TI Silent 700 series.
At first they're portable but not the sort of thing you want sitting
on your lap, so you set them on the desk, but you could take them
*home* and use your lowly phone to contact the computer from the
luxury of your bedroom with the stereo system and your record
collection and comfy chair instead of that stuffy office with the
flourescent overhead lighting in endless banks. Give 'em a decade and
they've evolved into the precursors of laptops like the later models
in the Silent 700 series and the Random Colleague (yes, from Random
Corp.).
So yeah, I think there's a lot to the experience that isn't provided
by an emulator.
And we haven't even gotten to the feel of the keyboards and their
layouts...
Emulators don't sound like this either:
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/vintage/sounds/teletype_sounds.mp3>
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