IBM 3270 Information Display System: Color and Programmed Symbols (1979)
This article describes the technical details of the IBM 3270 Information Display System, focusing on its color and programmed symbol capabilities introduced in 1979.
Why it matters
This article provides technical insights into the capabilities of an influential terminal system from the 1970s-80s mainframe computing era.
Key Points
- 1The IBM 3270 was a popular terminal system used for mainframe computing in the 1970s and 80s
- 2This document outlines the color and programmable symbol features added to the 3270 system
- 3It covers technical specifications, control sequences, and programming guidelines for these new capabilities
Details
The IBM 3270 Information Display System was a widely used terminal system for accessing mainframe computers in the 1970s and 1980s. This technical document from 1979 describes the new color and programmed symbol features introduced for the 3278, 3279, and 3287 models of the 3270 system. The color capabilities allowed the terminals to display text and graphics in up to 8 different colors, controlled through escape sequences and attribute settings. The programmed symbol feature enabled the terminals to define and display custom character sets beyond the standard ASCII character set. This allowed the terminals to show specialized symbols, graphics, and language-specific characters. The document provides detailed technical specifications on how to leverage these new features through control sequences, attribute settings, and programming guidelines. While not directly related to modern AI/ML, this article offers a historical perspective on the evolution of terminal technology and the increasing sophistication of user interfaces in the mainframe computing era.
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