[comp.terminals] home terminals

bwalker@triton.unm.edu (Ben M. Walker) (04/19/91)

  Being a relative novice on computer terminals, I was wondering if anybody 
out there could give me some information on terminals that can be used at
home.  I am seriously considering getting a terminal for home, in order to
do work from my home on the university systems.  I am used to using VT240's
and would prefer to get one of them.  Is this a good choice?  Also, what 
kinds of hardware are needed to accomplish this?  What are the costs?
I am not really interested in getting a PC. (I do not want to spend 
thousands of dollars for a system)  All I really need is a "dumb" terminal
that I can use at home to do work and avoid commuting back and forth.
And finally, where are the best places to purchase this equipment?

Sorry to waste everybodies time with such inane questions, but this
seemed like the best place to ask.  

stealth@engin.umich.edu (Mike Pelletier) (04/23/91)

I have an ADDS (Applied Digital Data Systems) terminal that has served
me quite well for about a year and a half, that I would be willing to
sell for about $50.  It even has the manual with it (I ordered it from
ADDS) which is often a rare thing with second-hand terminals...  :-)
It has a standard RS-232 modem port on the back, so you won't have
to buy any weird adaptor cables, etc...
Anyway, let me know if you're interested.

-- 
Mike Pelletier             | "Wind & waves are breakdowns in the commitment of
The University of Michigan |  getting from here to there, but they are the con-
  College of Engineering   |  ditions for sailing.  Not something to eliminate,
Student/Systems Admin      |  but something to dance with."

sshriva@hubcap.clemson.edu (Sumant Shrivastava) (04/26/91)

I have a VT320 and a Packard Bell 2400 bps modem at home. I checked the
terminal out from school. I bought the modem for $120 at Service
Merchandise (you can get cheaper ones via mail order). I did shop around
for terminals and found that you can get a used VTxxx compatible for
about sixty bucks. You could buy a RS232C cable (if your
terminal doesn't have one) for less than ten dollars. So, you are
looking at a configuration which costs less than $190. A new terminal would set
you back quite a bit financially - enough to make you think twice about
not buying a PC. 

I'm not too sure about this but it probably is a good idea to get a
VT100 compatible terminal. Most hosts have drivers for these. 

I'm really glad I have this setup - it works great at 2400 bps and saves 
me from being in school at weird hours.

Sumant

P.S. You may want to find out if your school will allow you to check out
a terminal and modem.