wrd3156@fedeva.UUCP (Bill Daniels) (05/05/88)
We have used Lear-Siegler terminals for some time, and with pretty good
success. It is now time to choose a new line of terminals. We hope to find
a family with dumb terminals as well as fairly smart terminals (graphics,
color, etc). My questions to the netland: What terminal family do you use?
Are you happy with the line? Is the family complete enough for your
requirements?
Any recommendations or insights will be appreciated!
--
bill daniels
federal express, memphis, tn
{hplabs!csun,gatech!emcard}!fedeva!wrd3156dan@maccs.UUCP (Dan Trottier) (05/11/88)
In article <296@fedeva.UUCP> wrd3156@fedeva.UUCP (Bill Daniels) writes: >a family with dumb terminals as well as fairly smart terminals (graphics, >color, etc). My questions to the netland: What terminal family do you use? >Are you happy with the line? Is the family complete enough for your >requirements? > >Any recommendations or insights will be appreciated! Well how about buying cheap PCs with one floppy and a fair amount of memory. You can then purchase terminal emulator products for whatever terminal you want to emulate. I'm not saying this is the best way to go but it is the most flexible. A cheap PC would probably cost about the same as a good graphics terminal depending on the configuration of the PC. The key to using PC as emulators is good reliable software that can properly emulate what you want. If the need arised where you needed to switch to a different terminal you would need to change the hardware. -- A.I. - is a three toed sloth! | ...!uunet!mnetor!maccs!dan -- Official scrabble players dictionary -- | dan@mcmaster.BITNET
ben@idsnh.UUCP (Ben Smith) (05/12/88)
I am against recommending PC's as terminals. My arguments are as follows:
(1) Only the more expensive and complex emulation programs (such as Softerm)
give fairly complete emulation of the terminals.
(2) Many programs require the ability of the terminal to switch between 80 and
132 columns. PC's do not do this well if at all.
(3) The users must now learn the communication program as well as the appli-
cation programs on the central machine. When a problem arises, it may
not be as simple to determine if it is with the application program or
the emulation program.
(4) Terminals are still cheaper, easier to set up, easier to service, quieter.
As to families of terminals, Wyse has fine design but their quality control
sucks rotten eggs. Also, they will have the same model with many different
ROMs with extraordinary differences.
Televideo makes a good terminal, but more expensive and not as aesthetic.