11 Nov
2017
11 Nov
'17
4:58 a.m.
On Fri, 10 Nov 2017, William Corcoran wrote:
It could also be that the 80 column display with 24
rows using 8 bit
characters fit nicely within a 16k memory chip (or four (4) 4K chips). I
wonder if that fact eventually helped OEM’s settle in on the ubiquitous
80x24 terminal size?
Perhaps. I still have horrible memories of the VT-05, flogged as the
console for the PDP-11. It was 72x20 (yes, really!), upper-case only (but
flipping a switch caused it to transmit lower-case as well), lacked a few
characters, etc... It probably used even smaller chips.
And yes, I'm a crusty dinosaur who won't adapt to the modern times; my
windows are 80x24, with the occasional 80x40, but occasionally using wide
screens for side-by-side diffs ("sdiff" is a wonderful tool), etc. I also
have poor eyesight, so I can't use small fonts.
--
Dave Horsfall DTM (VK2KFU) "Those who don't understand security will
suffer."