Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

Dumb terminal refers to the display monitor that has no intelligence and processing capabilities but simply an input/output device that accepts data from the CPU and user. Dumb terminal consists of a computer screen and keyboard. They allow a user to carry out work on a remote server, minicomputer or mainframe. They have largely been superseded by personal computers which can perform lots of local data processing. On the other hand, smart terminals and intelligent terminals with certain processing power are used in some special situations such as graphics processing.

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dumb terminal