Aucbvax.4764
fa.info-terms
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!info-terms
Wed Oct 28 17:28:02 1981
Terminal evaluations
>From menlo70!sytek!zehntel!hickman@Berkeley Wed Oct 28 14:01:43 1981
Recently, we did an evaluation of terminals for home (and in office)
usage.  The following summarizes the evaluation and information obtained.
Note that the terminal had to be termcap-able in order for us to consider
it at all.  Also, the following shorthand will be used for terminal
features:

       ILN     Insert line             DLN     Delete line
       IC      Insert character        DC      Delete character
       UL      Underline               RV      Reverse video

Ann Arbor Ambassador:
       Wonderful features (ILN, DLN, IC, DC, UL, RV, ...). Has a
       nice keyboard with all the keys in the right place.  The
       reason we didn't go with this terminal was because of the
       slow phosphor.  It really gets on your nerves.

Visual 200:
       Excellent character font; rotten keyboard; no extra memory
       for multiple pages; features (ILN, DLN, IC, DC, ...).

Ampex Dialogue 80:
       Pretty box; rotten keyboard; nice display font; good features
       (ILN, DLN, IC, DC, ...); multiple pages of memory but no
       reverse or forward scroll to view it (have to use a page button).

Teleray 100:
       Vt100+ compatibility.  Problem with vt100's is that their idea
       of insert/delete line is so bizzare as to not be termcap-able.
       Ugly box; okay screen font.  Too expensive.

Adm 32:
       Nice pretty box; rotten keyboard; weird features (no details on
       this; sorry).  So-so screen font.

Televideo 950:
       Excellent screen font; weird features (again, no details), no local
       scrolling to view multiple pages.  Video tubes go out of whack
       and flyback squeal is bad.  Sticky keyboard.

Hp-2621:
       Man plus's and minus's for this:  plus: many features;
       minus: 1e38 characters in a cursor move sequence, so most
       of the time visual programs use the up,down,left,right
       sequences to move the cursor.

Datamedia 40:
       Nice box, but large.  Televideo 950, adm 31 compatible.
       Nice keyboard, pretty good features (ILN, DLN, IC, DC, ...)
       and has local scroll.  Didn't see this one myself, so I
       don't know why we didn't pick it.

Adds Viewpoints:
       Real loser:  rotten keyboard; excruciatingly loud bell!!!!!
       No features.  Ugly box.

Televideo 920:
       Nice keyboard, as long as you type with a hammer in hand to
       pound the keys down with.  All the features of the 950.

Adm3a:
       Everyone knows what these do and don't do.

Concept 108:
       (warning: this message is somewhat biased cuz I use one of
       these and love it).  This terminal has more features than
       any other I have seen, including the ambassador.  It is
       very nice to use, has the best keyboard seen, to date.  All
       the keys are in the right place except for the caps-lock.
       Will do multiple windowing; local scroll mode (96 to 192
       lines of text - in 80 column mode; less in 132 column
       mode); bindable function keys; local editing; ILN, DLN, IC,
       DC, RV, UL, ....... and then some;  the termcap entry for
       this terminal is the longest yet.  This version of the
       terminal (unlike the concept 104) has no brain damage,
       and can be programmed to send ^S/^Q when it gets behind.
       Which means fill characters are no longer needed.  The
       manual for the terminal is 1/2 inch thick.  Up to 4 fonts,
       user definable if you can burn proms.  25th status line
       which can be programmed in about 17,000 different ways.
       We didn't buy this because it is a bit to expensive for
       home usage.

------------------------------------------------------------

And now for the winner:

Falco Data Products Ts-1:
       Very nice keyboard (a few keys in the wrong place, tho).
       All of the features, multiple pages of memory with local
       scrolling. Green/White/Amber phosphor choice.  Local editing;
       bindable function keys;  no padding needed;  setup mode
       like vt100, but nicer.  Terminal has internal time clock
       on status line (disable-able and set able); battery backup
       of setup stuff.  10 characters of setable status line info.
       Detachable keyboard.  All in all, a good terminal.  The
       cost is right too.  If you want the number of the company
       mail to this address.

                                       kipp

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