> one thing I hope to do when I get acquainted(future,hopefully near )is
> to open consoles so mt family has, in effect simultaneous access to the
> computer so I can make upgrades nto one computer rather than buy and
> maintain several since hardware tends not to be cheap, I'm trying to
> think(and save up) ahead of time when that day comes what is needed
> for each terminal?
>
A serial port. A serial null-modem cable. A terminal. A free plug
;-).
Seriously, that is about all you need, hardware wise. Out of them, the
hardest to come by would be the serial ports and the terminals. I
don't know where to go to get dedicated terminals, but usually some are
available in the used market. The serial ports are a potential
problem. Standard PC hardware limits you to two or four serial ports,
unless something special is done. There are plenty of solutions, most
providing 4 or 8 extra serial ports. If this is all you need, then
that would be fine.
The cabling is simple, and you might even be able to buy pre-made null
modem cables.
However, this solution, while fairly traditional, does have certain
limitations. The terminals will be limited to text. X will be
impossible. If this is acceptable to you, then this is probably the
least expensive option. If you want X-like capabilities, then you need
to go a more complicated route, a route that most likely involves
ethernet. I'll let others deal with that problem.
--
Buddha Buck [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacaphony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects." -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice
