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dumb terminal

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.

A display terminal without processing capability. It is entirely dependent on the main computer for processing. Although mainframe and minicomputer terminals (3270, 5150, etc.) are technically smart terminals, because they have a certain amount of built-in screen display capabilities, they are often called dumb terminals. Contrast with smart terminal and intelligent terminal.

(hardware)dumb terminal - A type of terminal that consists of a keyboard and a display screen that can be used to enter and transmit data to, or display data from, a computer to which it is connected. A dumb terminal, in contrast to an intelligent terminal, has no independent processing capability or auxiliary storage and thus cannot function as a stand-alone device.

The dumbest kind of terminal is a glass tty. The next step up has a minimally addressable cursor but no on-screen editing or other features normally supported by an intelligent terminal.

Once upon a time, when glass ttys were common and addressable cursors were something special, what is now called a dumb terminal could pass for a smart terminal.
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A client can be many things: a PC (or a dumb terminal without a hard disk) on a local area network (LAN); a PC at a remote location connected to the home office via some sort of communication circuit (point-to-point, dial-up or the Internet); a remote PC using an internet service provider (ISP) such as America Online or Mindspring; or even a PalmPilot.
Get remote computer access--and save by Vinnedge, David / Journal of Accountancy
Once a connection is made between a dumb terminal (also known as a thin client) and the terminal server, the computer runs as fast as the server and network connection will let it.
Extending the Lifetime of Obsolete Computers by NELSON, CYNTHIA E. / School Administrator
These on-demand applications will store information and the business processes somewhere in the Internet cloud, which is, in many ways, very similar to the old mainframe and dumb terminal mainframe era - minus its cost and its lack of flexibility.
More M&A on the Way as Software-as-a-Service Disrupts the Economics ... by Business Wire
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