from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
dumb terminal
n.
A terminal that is one step above a {glass tty}, having a minimally
addressable cursor but no on-screen editing or other features normally
supported by a {smart 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.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
dumb terminal
<hardware> 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.
[Examples?]
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-04-14)