Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: comp.terminals
Subject: Re: Best Terminal Contest
Message-ID: <7363@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 30-Nov-86 04:47:24 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7363
Posted: Sun Nov 30 04:47:24 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Nov-86 04:47:24 EST
References: <1438@kitty.UUCP>, <2516@phri.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 47

> 	How about instead of griping about the worst terminals we've ever
> seen, we talk about the best we've ever seen...
> ...ones that FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE AT THE TIME,
> were really nice pieces of engineering. ...
> 	In the hard-copy department, I'll vote for DEC's LA-120.  Fast (by
> late 1970's standards), built like a tank, and even had both upper and
> lower case!  ...

To my mind, the hard-copy department has a clear-cut winner:  the DEC
DECWriter 2, aka LA36.  DEC hasn't built a good hardcopy terminal since,
in my (biased) opinion.  I'm still amazed that the DW2 got so many things
right, especially since the DW1 was a turkey.  The only thing badly wrong
with the DW2 was that it was slow:  300 baud.  On the other hand:

	- It ran at 300 baud at a time when 110 baud was all too common.

	- It printed full dualcase ASCII at a time when uppercase-only
	  was still widespread.

	- It ran at a true 300 baud:  no padding, no delays, no handshake.

	- It used standard line-printer paper rather than the esoteric
	  variations that were all too common.  A side effect of this was
	  that it was 132 characters wide.

	- Keyboard feel was very light, which took getting used to but was
	  excellent once you did.

	- Ribbon changes were simple, paper changes were utterly trivial.

	- Utterly reliable, never broke.

It did have problems, like the cruddy descenderless font and the visibility
problems caused by the printhead getting in the way.  Undoubtedly there have
been better hardcopy terminals since (although not from DEC, at least not
the ones I've tried), but none has ever been such a startling breath of
fresh air compared to the competition.  When UofS got its 11/40 in late 1974,
we were a little nervous about getting the unknown DW2 rather than the
ASR33 that we knew all too well.  Once we found out what the DW2 was like,
we were utterly delighted that DEC had finally done so many things right!
Like the ADM 3, the DW2 wasn't bright, but what it did, it did well.

Utzoo is an 11/44, soon to become a Sun-3/180.  Our console terminal is,
and if humanly possible will remain, a DW2.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry