Aucbvax.2409
fa.info-terms
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!info-terms
Wed Jul 22 18:50:11 1981
IBM 3101
>From decvax!duke!unc!smb@Berkeley Wed Jul 22 18:27:15 1981
The real problem with the IBM 3101 is not so much that it's a poor ASCII
terminal, as that it's also a poor excuse for an ASCII version of IBM's
327x series terminals. Remember that IBM mainframes are NOT amenable
to full-duplex ASCII. And, whether we like it or not, that's the way
it is (sorry, Uncle Walter), and they have a huge installed base to deal
with. Quite plainly, the design of the 3101 (the placement and labelling
of the CTRL key, the full-duplex/LOCAL mode botch, the brain-damaged
block mode and display highlighting, etc.) shows that the folks who
designed the thing just plain don't understand the glass tty marketplace.
I can excuse that on grounds of ignorance. But the terminal also doesn't
quite cut the mustard as a 3278 with a different interface, because it's
lacking a few keys that 3278 support requires. If they had 12 pfks instead
of 8, keys labelled PA1, PA2, PA3, and a few others, they could have put
a little bit of extra smarts in their communications controllers and
achieved compatibility with all of their existing full-screen products.
That they blew this one can only be chalked up to gross stupidity.
And it's a shame, because in many ways the 3101 IS a nice terminal: clear,
readable display, excellent keyboard feel, rugged construction, and a
buffered mode that deals better with IBM controllers than any other on
the market.
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