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DEC-VT240 [24-Sep-85]

 The following is an extract  of a letter sent  to a user who  purchased
 several DEC VT240 terminals.

 Frankly, the VT240's are  terrible terminals in my  view, and I  really
 think you should consider exchanging  them for something better.   Here
 are some of the reasons:

   The keyboard layout is full of misfeatures, particularly for  folks
   using a DEC-20 or EMACS on the -20 or VAX, especially the placement
   of the angle brackets, the shift lock, and the escape key.

   The terminal loses  data at high  receive rates, so  for plots,  it
   will be necessary to use XON/XOFF.  If this could be host-selected,
   it could be hidden  in a PCL procedure  like TK; unfortunately,  it
   must be  done from  SETUP mode.   EMACS cannot  be used  with  this
   setting, not only because the  terminal sends CTL-S to stop  input,
   but also because it then disables the keyboard from sending  either
   CTL-S or CTL-Q.

   Although the color  version of the  VT240 supports  Tektronix-style
   plot commands (with appropriate mode switches from the host,  which
   TK /VT240 handles), it will not do color; any attempt to switch  to
   Regis mode and  change color  while in Tektronix  mode trashes  the
   screen.

   The alpha  and graphics  screens  are not  separate, so  any  alpha
   output after a plot  is made overwrites the  plot, or causes it  to
   scroll of the screen.  Even the dumb ADM3a+ does better than  this!
   As I have written it, the PLOT79 interface will finish each plot by
   cursor positioning to the  last line on the  screen, so any  prompt
   that comes out does only minor damage.  The TK /PAUSE option is the
   safest way to see a plot intact.

   Function keys  can be  loaded  only from  the  host, not  from  the
   keyboard; a reasonable terminal should support loading from  either
   source.

   The resolution is poor  -- 800 horizontal x  240 vertical, and  one
   can get much better  resolution for the same  amount of money  from
   several other vendors.

   The several hundred-page manual is atrocious and lacks an index.  I
   recommend the exercise of trying to figure out from it how to  draw
   a vector in some particular color, and do this in less than an hour
   of frustrated paging back and forth in the manual.

  I could go on, but I have  other things to get done.  I would  suggest
  you look  seriously at  the  Visual 500,  Selanar  HiRez, or  the  new
  Digital Engineering terminals for monochrome, or the Tektronix 4105 or
  Intecolor VHR19 for color.