windows on normal terminals

[Robert Bradbury]

In article <562 at bcsaic.UUCP>, michaelm at bcsaic.UUCP (michael maxwell) writes:

> If I understand correctly, part of the reason that large bit-mapped screens
> (like the Sun I'm priveleged to be typing on now) are so expensive is the cost
> of producing a CRT w/ the requisite resolution; the memory for each pixel is
> presumably less of a problem these days (?).  It's always seemed to me that
> there must be a way of setting up a number of 80x24 CRTs to have at least 
> some of the advantages of the multiple (8 1/2) screens I have on my Sun right 
> now.

I myself routinely use 2-3 terminals.  Up here in Seattle I've got a CIT-500
and 2 VT100's connected to a RIXON 815 stat mux telecommuting over a leased line
to CA.  Several fellows in CA have 2 or more terminals on their desks.  It
is cumbersone (due to the keyboard size), but when you sometimes need to
work on an IBM mainframes, DEC VMS and UNIX systems all at the same time
it works.  We have ethernet running between all of the machines but getting
"rlogin" and various system editors to know about non-standard window sizes
doesn't seem to be a solution now (How do you get EDT on VMS to take advantage
of a 66 line CIT?).   We recently got a number of people VAX workstations
with the fancy color screens but this was justified mainly on the basis
of guaranteeing some developers local computing power.  I generally don't
prefer a spaceheater (:-)) where several terminals suffice.

My biggest productivity booster seems to be the larger screen on the CIT.
I could use the window packages described in recent msgs to get "real"
windows and it isn't much more expensive than a VT100.

The solutions seem to vary depending on what you really do:
  - Some people need local computing power (ala Sun's and Vaxstations)
  - Some people need access to multiple machines (ala multiple terminals)
  - Some people (managers?) only spend 5-10% of their time a day on a
    terminal and can get by with a 24x80 sized screen.

-- 
Robert Bradbury
Oracle Corporation
(206) 364-1442                            {ihnp4!muuxl,hplabs}!oracle!bradbury