Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!pacbell.com!ucsd!ucbvax!TMC.EDU!lib!thesis1.hsch.utexas.EDU From: lib!thesis1.hsch.utexas.EDU@TMC.EDU (Jay Maynard) Newsgroups: comp.lang.asm370 Subject: 3270 tubes aren't that bad... Message-ID: <9011060006.AA06210@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: 5 Nov 90 19:16:52 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: IBM 370 Assembly Programming Discussion List Distribution: inet Organization: The Internet Lines: 24 In article <13143@encore.Encore.COM> jcallen@encore.Com (Jerry Callen) writes: >[Aside: won't those $#@ 3270s EVER die the death they deserve???] The 3270 may be complex and difficult to use for the average Unix hacker who's used to a VT220, or an X terminal, running at high speeds. For their designed purposes, though, they're actually very efficient and do the job well...it's just that that designed job isn't general terminal use. In particular, the 3270 is unsurpassed at fill-in-the-blank forms usage; the hardware has the necessary functions designed into it, and they're very fast. In addition, the channel architecture and 3270s get along very well together. Just try to imagine what would happen if it was done character-at-a-time, interactively, at typing speed, on a channel. Channel busy percentages would go right through the roof. Yes, a 3270 makes a lousy VT100 (I know from firsthand experience...you haven't lived until you've used EMACS on a PC emulating a 3270 emulating a VT100! :-( ), but for its intended use, it does very well indeed. I would be greatly surprised if it were replaced by async terminals, or something of that nature. -- Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can jmaynard@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu | adequately be explained by stupidity. "With design like this, who needs bugs?" - Boyd Roberts