DUMB TERMINALS
- Computer workstations with a monitor and keyboard that connect to a mainframe.West Communications, said the concept is based on the Minitel, a
dumb terminal
the French government distributed to consumers some years ago to avoid the cost of printing telephone directories.Turning a personal computer into a
dumb terminal
is tricky, because the keyboards on the two kinds of devices are substantially different.The workstation might be a
dumb terminal
connected to a mainframe or minicomputer; a smart terminal containing some intelligence; a word processor with, perhaps, some special-purpose intelligence; or a general-purpose microcomputer.A
dumb terminal
in a video center can simply be disconnected, carried to the back of the store and hooked up for use in receiving direct store deliveries.