>    Today this might be more obsolete than it was 20 years ago, but there
> are still benefits to that. The standard is quite well-established and
> has been around forever, so almost every system in existence supports it.

It sounds a bit like Unix itself: It's not actually a very good idea, 
but everything in Creation supports it, and so it will remain around 
forever.

Actually, I found a rather interesting description of the history of 
Unix the other day. I'll have to see if I can find it again. As you read 
it, you discover that many design decisions that look stupid are in fact 
merely obsolete. They served a purpose 60 years ago, it's just that they 
aren't the best choice any more.

> Also, being text-based (and low-bandwidth) you can create or port terminal
> emulators to almost any system with a screen and a keyboard, even very
> exotic ones. For instance, it's pretty common for unix-savvy people to
> have a terminal emulator on their cellphones so that they can contact
> their computer or whatever remotely. A remote GUI would simply not do.

These days, the fashion seems to be for everything from print servers to 
network hubs to be controlled by HTML over HTTP. Which is equally 
stupid, but looks more pretty...

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