Anatomy of an X terminal

The X Window System, an open, vendor-neutral standard based on the client/server model is discussed, focusing on its improvements and differences with respect to ASCII terminals. This model permits physically independent application processing and display processing, communicating over a local-area network by means of a well-defined set of graphics commands that comprise the X protocol. The human factors that influence the interface design, the communication protocol, the memory architecture, and other features are examined. Performance rating results are discussed.<>