X terminal


In computing, an X terminal is a display/input terminal for X Window System client applications. X terminals enjoyed a period of popularity in the early 1990s when they offered a lower total cost of ownership alternative to a full Unix workstation.
An X terminal runs an X 'server'. In X, the usage of "client" and "server" is from the viewpoint of the programs: the X server supplies a screen, keyboard, mouse and touchscreen to client applications. This connects to an X display manager running on a central machine, using XDMCP.
Thin clients have somewhat supplanted X terminals in that they are equipped with added flash memory and software for communication with remote desktop protocols.

Vendors

In the early 1990s, several vendors introduced X terminals including Network Computing Devices, Gipsi, Hewlett Packard, Digital Equipment Corporation, IBM, Samsung and Tektronix.