computer terminal

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TERMINAL, codename for the Allied conference held in Potsdam, Germany, from 17 July to 2 August 1945. It was the third, last, and longest conference in which all the principal leaders of the Grand Alliance took part. But Truman had replaced Roosevelt, after the latter's death in April, and Churchill, defeated in the general election results announced on 26 July, was replaced midway through the conference by his deputy, Attlee, who returned to Potsdam as prime minister on 28 July with Bevin, his foreign secretary.

The principal topics were the surrender terms for Japan, the boundaries and peace terms for Europe, which the Council of Foreign Ministers was formed to draw up, and Poland's future frontiers (see Oder–Neisse Line) and government. The last occupied many of the discussions, with representatives of the provisional government (see Lublin Committee) taking part in some of them; but the conference will, perhaps, be best remembered for the Potsdam Declaration which stated the surrender terms for Japan.

Via the Japanese ambassador in Moscow, Emperor Hirohito had already expressed his wish to end the war, but Stalin intimated to his western partners that Japan would not accept unconditional surrender, a fact the Americans already knew through MAGIC intelligence. On 26 July the Potsdam Declaration was issued after it had been approved by China, which was a signatory. It called on the Japanese government to proclaim the unconditional surrender of its armed forces and stipulated that ‘The authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest’ had to be eliminated; that Japan would be occupied until this had been achieved; that the Cairo Declaration, issued at the Cairo Conference in November 1943 (see SEXTANT), would be adhered to; and that Japanese sovereignty would be confined to its four main islands. All Japanese forces would be disarmed and permitted to return to their homes. It was not intended to enslave Japan, but justice would be meted out to war criminals (see Far East war crimes trials), ‘the Japanese government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies’, and freedom of speech, religion, and thought, and respect for fundamental human rights, would be established. See also diplomacy.

ter·mi·nal / ˈtərmənl/ • adj. 1. of, forming, or situated at the end or extremity of something: a terminal date | the terminal tip of the probe. ∎  of or forming a transportation terminal: terminal platforms. ∎  Zool. situated at, forming, or denoting the end of a part or series of parts furthest from the center of the body. ∎  Bot. (of a flower, inflorescence, etc.) borne at the end of a stem or branch.Often contrasted with axillary. 2. (of a disease) predicted to lead to death, esp. slowly; incurable: terminal cancer. ∎  suffering from or relating to such a disease: a hospice for terminal cases. ∎  (of a condition) forming the last stage of such a disease. ∎ inf. extreme and usually beyond cure or alteration (used to emphasize the extent of something regarded as bad or unfortunate): you're making a terminal ass of yourself. • n. 1. an end or extremity of something, in particular: ∎  the end of a railroad or other transport route, or a station at such a point. ∎  a departure and arrival building for air passengers at an airport. ∎  an installation where oil or gas is stored at the end of a pipeline or at a port. 2. a point of connection for closing an electric circuit. 3. a device at which a user enters data or commands for a computer system and that displays the received output. 4. (also terminal figure) another term for terminus (sense 3). DERIVATIVES: ter·mi·nal·ly adv. (in sense 2 of the adjective ) a terminally ill woman.

computer terminal a device that enables a computer to receive or deliver data. Computer terminals vary greatly depending on the format of the data they handle. For example, a simple early terminal comprised a typewriter keyboard for input and a typewriter printing element for alphanumeric output. A more recent variation includes the keyboard for input and a televisionlike screen to display the output. The screen can be a cathode-ray tube or a gas plasma panel, the latter involving an ionized gas (sandwiched between glass layers) that glows to form dots which, in turn, connect to form lines. Such displays can present a variety of output, ranging from simple alphanumerics to complex graphic images used as design tools by architects and engineers. Portable terminals frequently use liquid crystal displays because of their low power requirements. The terminals of pen-based computers use a stylus to input handwriting on the screen. Touch-sensitive terminals accept input made by touching a pressure-sensitive panel in front of a menu displayed on the screen. Other familiar types of terminals include store checkout systems that deliver detailed printed receipts and use laser scanners to read the bar codes on packages, and automatic teller machines in banks.

Bibliography: See L. Tijerina, Video Display Terminal Workstation Ergonomics (1984).

terminal
1. A data input and/or output device that is connected to a controlling processor to which it is subservient and usually remote. There are a very wide range of terminal types. The VDU is frequently used as a terminal by which a user can input queries or instructions and receive instructions. The information may be in the form of text or it may be mainly graphical. Terminals designed for a particular environment and business activity come under a general heading of application terminals. If the terminal has a built-in capability to store and manipulate data it is classed as an intelligent terminal; without this capability terminals are classed as dumb.

2. (terminal symbol) See grammar.

terminal A device consisting of a keyboard and a monitor that allows the user to contact and send data and messages to another computer on a network. A rather dated term which is rapidly going out of use.

terminal.
1. Term.

2. Ornamental finish, or termination, of an object, e.g. a finial, bench-end in a church, or knob.

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