All About Alphanumeric Display Terminals

C2S-01 0-1 01 Terminals All About Alphanumeric Display Terminals The video display terminal (VDT, or CRT, as it is com monly referred to) is the principal interface between people The traditional alphanumeric display terminal, and computers. As the computer (particularly the micro threatened by the onslaught of microcomputers computer) becomes pervasive in today's business world, with terminal emulation capabilities, remains more and more people are being exposed to this popular alive and well. In fact. market studies consistently business tool. Originally invented as a "glass teletype," an show a steady, stable growth for this market in the alternative to using a teleprinter terminal as a computer next few years. This report focuses on non-user operator console, the display terminal has evolved to the programmable alphanumeric display terminals point where it is a primary component in the vast majority designed for general-purpose business applica of modern computer applications, including data entry, tions. It includes a brief historical summary of the inquiry/response, program development, business and sci market; current market trends; developments in entific graphics, word processing/text editing, CAD/CAM, ergonomics; and a look at the industry's major and many others. For the purpose of this report, we will segments. Also included are comparison columns focus on alphanumeric display terminals designed for gen detailing the specifications of 352 display termi eral-purpose business applications. nal models offered by 87 vendors. The steady introduction of improvements in CRT design As with all segments of the hardware industry, technologi and functional capability, such as editing, highlighting, cal improvements have led to lower prices for the user. protected fields, split-screen functions, color screens, and Nowhere is this more obvious than in the display terminal ergonomic housing, has contributed to the growth of the market. Consider that about five years ago only the most market. However, the single most important factor in basic dumb ASCII terminals carried a price tag below tOOay's display terminal market, in terms of how it affects $1,000. Today, the low-end price has fallen to below $400, both the vendor and the end user, is the continuing down with the majority of basic smart terminals available in the ward trend in pricing. Historically, price has been set in $500-to-$1,000 range. Prices in the IBM 3270 segment of proportion to capability; dumb terminals have carried the the market, traditionally much higher than in the asynchro lowest price tags, with fully featured smart editing termi nous segment, have also fallen. Where once they sold for nals on the high-end of the price scale. While this is still over $2,000, basic 3270-type terminals can now be pur true, advances in technology have caused the lines of chased for around $1,000; the prices fall even lower when distinction between what is dumb and what is smart to be purchased in quantity. blurred; meanWhile, prices have fallen, drastically in some cases. The classic dumb terminal, as it was known ten years These lower prices have reduced profit margins for vendors ago, is now virtually extinct. and have made competition in the terminal market tougher 1:> The AT&T 6500 Multifunction Communication System is made up of modular controllers, termi nals, personal computers, and printers; up to 32 devices can be connected in a cluster, and can communicate directly with multiple hosts using both synchronous and asynchronous protocols. Standard and multitasking displays are available. APRIL 1986 © 1986 DATAPRO RESEARCH CORPORATION, DELRAN, NJ 08075 USA REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED C25-010-102 Terminals All About Alphanumeric Display Terminals generate, and a monitor that can display, a full alphanu meric character/code set; 2) each has the capability to send and receive data via communications lines to a remote host computer; and 3) each is marketed for general-purpose use in the United States and Canada, and is identified as a distinct product to end users. Historically, display terminals have fallen into one of three general categories: dumb, smart, and user-programmable. For the sake of historical reference, here are Datapro's definitions of these three types of terminals. Dumb terminals offer a limited number offunctions; most feature teletype compatibility. Smart terminals offer extended functions, such as editing Since Digital's introduction 0/ the VT220 in 1983. a large and formatted data entry. In some cases, the user can tailor market/or VT220 emulating terminals has sprung up. Ampex the terminal to fit his/her own application via a limited Corporation has added the Ampex 220 to its terminal product degree of programming, such as format creation and pa line. Selling/or $749. the Ampex 220 prQvides a 14-inch display rameter definition. screen with 80- or 132-column display capability. User-programmable (or intelligent) terminals feature soft 1> and riskier than ever. This past year saw ITT subsidiary ware support. The vendor typically provides an operating Qume unveil its QVT 101, a smart terminal with a price tag system, an assembler- or compiler-driven programming of$395. Many ofQume's competitors accused the compa language, subroutines, I/O utilities, one or more protocol ny of attempting to buy market share, saying that Qume emulators, and one or two application programs, such as could not be making money on such a low-priced terminal. data entry and text editing. Nevertheless, within a few months, most ofQume's major competitors had also introduced a sub-$400 unit. The These categories have been squeezed from both sides, problem at this end seems to be one of distribution; at such however. At the high end, user-programmable terminals low prices, distributors are simply unwilling to carry them, have all but given way to microcomputers; very few com given the low margins that they will bring. Still, the market panies continue to manufacture these high-priced termi remains vigorous, and new vendors continue to enter. The nals. At the low end, advances in technology and plunging real winner in all of this, obviously, is the user, who prices have led to the extinction of the dumb terminal as continues to gain more functionality per terminal dollar. such. Today, virtually all display terminals on the market fall into the smart terminal category. Today, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million display terminals installed throughout the United MICROPROCESSOR CONTROL States. However, the healthy growth of this market has beel1 jeopardized by the popular acceptance of the micro All display terminals currently manufactured are micro computer by corporations. As microcomputer prices also processor-controlled. Microprocessor-based programs tumble, many firms are using them as multipurpose work (firmware) reside in ROM or PROM memory. ROM stations that usurp some of the functions traditionally resident programs, which are inexpensive when repro performed by display terminals. As microcomputer-to duced in large quantities, control those features which are mainframe links improve, more and more microcomputers permanent and unchangeable; while PROM-resident pro will be able to perform terminal tasks in addition to micro grams are typically produced in smaller quantities and computing tasks. Datapro has seen a drop in the number of implement customized or modifiable features. Either type companies entering the terminal market in the past few can be replaced by simply removing the old chip and years, as well as a small shakeout. At the other end of the putting in a new one. This flexibility is highly beneficial to spectrum, however, lies the multiuser microcomputer, that the manufacturer, since older equipment can be updated provides another market into which the display terminal and nonstandard customer specifications can be fulfilled vendor can sell. The days of tremendous growth in the without costly hardware changes. Theoretically, program terminal industry would appear to be over; and, in fact, interchangeability might also benefit the user,hut in prac many ofthe established terminal vendors have experienced tice it is doubtful that the requirements of a particular user financial difficulties in the past year. But the display termi will change often enough to make it a great advantage. The nal will remain an important part of the computer industry fact that PROM replacement generally must be done at the for the foreseeable future. factory or by a field service technician precludes frequent PROM replacement. GENERAL CATEGORIES In addition to controlling basic terminal functions, the All of the terminals covered in this report have three microprocessor firmware can provide protocol emulation, features· in common: 1) each has a keyboard that can define the character/code sets to be generated by the key- J:: © 1986 OAT APRO RESEARCH CORPORATION, DELRAN, NJ 08075 USA . APRIL 1986 ct:Dcnnl If'TltUJ DDnwllilr'fl:h C25-010-101 Terminals All About Alphanumeric Display Terminals The video display terminal (VDT, or CRT, as it is com monly referred to) is the principal interface between people The traditional alphanumeric display terminal, and computers. As the computer (particularly the micro threatened by the onslaught of microcomputers computer) becomes pervasive in today's business world, with terminal emulation capabilities, remains more and more people are being exposed to this popular alive and well. In fact, market studies

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