Block-oriented terminal
Encyclopedia
A block-oriented terminal is a type of computer terminal
that communicates with its host in blocks of data, usually chunks of text, as opposed to a character-oriented terminal
that communicates with its host one character at a time. The IBM 3270
is perhaps the most common implementation of a block-oriented terminal.
The host sends to the terminal a description of the fields to be displayed. The terminal processes and then displays the page. When the user submits data, like updates in a database
entry, an entire field is sent to the host in one burst. This behavior has the advantage of causing less system load
on the host and less network traffic
than character-oriented terminal
s. They are also more responsive to the user, especially over slow connections, since editing within a field is done locally on the terminal itself.
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
that communicates with its host in blocks of data, usually chunks of text, as opposed to a character-oriented terminal
Character-oriented terminal
A character-oriented terminal is a type of computer terminal that communicates with its host one character at a time, as opposed to a block-oriented terminal that communicates in blocks of data. It is the most common type of data terminal, because it's easy to implement and program...
that communicates with its host one character at a time. The IBM 3270
IBM 3270
The IBM 3270 is a class of block oriented terminals made by IBM since 1972 normally used to communicate with IBM mainframes. As such, it was the successor to the IBM 2260 display terminal. Due to the text colour on the original models, these terminals are informally known as green screen terminals...
is perhaps the most common implementation of a block-oriented terminal.
The host sends to the terminal a description of the fields to be displayed. The terminal processes and then displays the page. When the user submits data, like updates in a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
entry, an entire field is sent to the host in one burst. This behavior has the advantage of causing less system load
Load (computing)
In UNIX computing, the system load is a measure of the amount of work that a computer system performs. The load average represents the average system load over a period of time...
on the host and less network traffic
Network traffic
Network traffic is data in a network. In computer networks, the data is encapsulated in packets.*Network traffic control*Network traffic measurement*Network traffic simulation...
than character-oriented terminal
Character-oriented terminal
A character-oriented terminal is a type of computer terminal that communicates with its host one character at a time, as opposed to a block-oriented terminal that communicates in blocks of data. It is the most common type of data terminal, because it's easy to implement and program...
s. They are also more responsive to the user, especially over slow connections, since editing within a field is done locally on the terminal itself.
See also
- Dumb terminal
- Text user interfaceText user interfaceTUI short for: Text User Interface or Textual User Interface , is a retronym that was coined sometime after the invention of graphical user interfaces, to distinguish them from text-based user interfaces...
- Command line interface