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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.college
Subject: Re: Overloaded Computing Systems
Message-ID: <4844@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 29-Dec-84 20:04:27 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4844
Posted: Sat Dec 29 20:04:27 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Dec-84 20:04:27 EST
References: <773@amdahl.UUCP> <10468@watmath.UUCP>, <1312@eosp1.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 19

> One simple way to eliminate a significant amount of mainframe cycle
> usage of the kind you cite is to eliminate "full duplex" (UNIX "raw"
> mode) terminal drive.  ...
> ...time sharing systems worked for years with IBM 3270 protocol and the
> like, and supported a full range of applications including text editing
> and word processing.  You need a little more down-loaded intelligence in
> your terminals to cut down on trivial traffic to your central cpu.

The problem is that "intelligence" is a word that one hesitates to apply
to the 3270 and its ilk.  Down-loaded intelligence is certainly the way
to go, but only if "down-loaded" really means that I can down-load code
into the terminal.  This is not (necessarily) something one wants to do
often, but the point is that the manufacturers cannot be expected to
anticipate what constitutes "intelligent" behavior for an application.
My recollection is that 3270 editor interaction tended to be quite stilted
as a result of the peculiar prejudices of the terminals.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry