videopäätteitä

Videopäätteitä, often translated as video terminals or video display units (VDUs), were a key component of early computing systems. They served as the primary interface for users to interact with a computer, replacing the need for punched cards and teletypewriters. A videopäätte consists of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display and a keyboard, allowing for real-time interaction.

Unlike modern graphical user interfaces, early videopäätteitä typically displayed text-only information. They operated in character mode, meaning the computer sent individual characters to be displayed at specific locations on the screen. These terminals were connected to a central mainframe or minicomputer, often via serial connections. The terminal itself had minimal processing power, with most of the computation handled by the host computer.

The development of videopäätteitä significantly improved user productivity and accessibility in computing. They allowed for faster data input and output, and the ability to see changes immediately on the screen made programming and data manipulation more efficient. Different types of videopäätteitä existed, ranging from simple, unbuffered models to more advanced ones with local memory and editing capabilities. The widespread adoption of videopäätteitä paved the way for the personal computer revolution, as the concept of an individual, interactive terminal eventually evolved into the self-contained desktop machine.