Virtual terminal management in a multiple process environment

ABSTRACT

Rochester's Intelligent Gateway provides its users with the facilities for communicating simultaneously with a large number of processes spread out among various computer systems. We have adopted the philosophy that the user should be able to manage any number of concurrent tasks or jobs, viewing their output on his display device as he desires. To achieve this goal the Virtual Terminal Management System (VTMS) converts a single physical terminal into multiple virtual terminals, each of which may be written to or queried for user input. VTMS extends the features of the physical terminal by providing extensive editing facilities, the capacity to maintain all output In disk-based data structures, and sophisticated mechanisms for the management of screen space. Virtual terminals are device-independent; the specific characteristics of the physical terminal are known only to the lowest-level I/O handlers for that device. VTMS Is currently running on a network of six minicomputers supporting various text and raster-graphics displays.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.4 INPUT/OUTPUT AND DATA COMMUNICATIONS
      B.4.2 Input/Output Devices

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.5 COMPUTER SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
      C.5.3 Microcomputers
          Subjects: Personal computers

  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.1 Process Management

  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Management