>> I'm told back in the days of the old mainframes, /all/ user output was
>> through a printer. It literally didn't /have/ a video display /at all/.
>> So the PRINT command in BASIC? It used to actually *print* stuff! :-D
>
> Yup. Heard that, too. Haven't ever seen any proof with my own eyes
> though, so it must be urban legend :-P

I've personally operated a green-screen terminal where there's a 
2-second delay between pressing a key and seeing the character on the 
screen because it's a dumb terminal connected over a modem link to a 
mainframe somewhere. After keying in several /very/ cryptic commands, 
the line printer next to be sprang into life. And let me tell you, those 
things are LOUD! I was using it to print benefits cheques for the local 
county council, in around about 1997 or so. I doubt that their 
infrastructure has been modernised since then...

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