The terminals are aesthetically pleasing.

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CookiesTheKitty@reddit

For me, the VT100 wins this aesthetic shootout, hands down.

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All three are very appealing. The ADM-3 is, like, the ur terminal of Unix, especially for the eVIl minded, and the curves are amazing. The VT-100 is the classic terminal for an entire generation of computer users. The Z-19/89 is the least influential in computer history of the three, but in my mind is still the most attractive.

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blakewantsa68@reddit

and bonus, you could convert the H/Z-19 to a H-89 by adding in the Z80 board in back, giving you a fully functional VT-52 clone *and* a local computer all in one!

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TMWNN@reddit

Oh? I didn't know that Heath sold the computer board separately. It makes sense, but I just didn't consider the possibility.

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blakewantsa68@reddit

You could get the board either done or as a kit, too. I got an H19 because I knew I eventually wanted the computer and bought the board as a kit a year or so later. Over time, added the board to a bunch of other terminals

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satsugene@reddit

Yeah.

I can’t say I particularly like the design on the second one, though would look great in the retro TWA terminal.

It kind of reminds me of the PET which I can’t say I really like the aesthetics of either.

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new2bay@reddit

I like the retro-futuristic look of the second one a lot. It’s my favorite of the three in terms of looks. But the VT-100 is a much better design. That separate keyboard is just a killer feature, IMO.

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CookiesTheKitty@reddit

I do really like the full-keyboard PETs if truth be told, but I'm biased as I owned a 4032 and floppy drive as a teenager about 79263 billion years ago.

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leoc@reddit

I think the original Apple Macintosh and Lisa case designs were based on the VT100 “loaf”, though I’ve never seen any confirmation of it.

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blakewantsa68@reddit

My first was the ADM-3A, followed by the H-19. I deployed a ton of VT100s though. I liked the H19 keyboard better, tbh.

The invention of libcurses changed everything, making some of the weird non-standard terminals just as functional as the DEC terminals and clones, like the H19.

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TMWNN@reddit

How many purely proprietary terminals did you run into? I thought everything was compatible with at least one widely used terminal; if not VT100, at least VT52.

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blakewantsa68@reddit

Oh man… there were dozens! And nearly all of the VT compatibles had at least a few things that were not…

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TheOGTachyon@reddit

Once you've played with my Wang you'll never go back.

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markatlnk@reddit

I remember the Lear Siegler ADM-3 terminal. You could get it as a kit and solder it together. I put several of these together. It had something like 140 ICs that needed to be soldered down by hand. It was one really large PCB that included the keyboard to the connectors in the back. Must have been in the late 70s. I had one in my dorm room for a while with a dial up modem.

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Kakariki73@reddit

Like props from a 60s Scifi movie

1st Klingon 2nd Starfleet 3rd Vulcan

Couldn't resist my geekie side 🤪

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couchmaster518@reddit

Typing ADM-3A control codes while chatting over a modem was a fun way to impress someone. ^G ^G ^G was fun, but typing cursor controls were more impressive.

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Cthulwutang@reddit

ehh i still don’t use the arrow keys in vi having learned on this terminal.

hjkl for the win.

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bhmcintosh@reddit

I gotta get my Heathkit outta the garage and working again! :-D

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chronos7000@reddit

Check out the DEC VT-05 for another powerful aesthetic. Beware it's like three feet deep if you want to get one.

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nicoleole80@reddit

And like, several thousand dollars too

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yodamastertampa@reddit

Accurate.

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Klutzy_Cat1374@reddit

I used a vintage thing for printing checks. Don't remember what it was but the key caps were orange. Tractor feed paper and the paper was locked in the back room. Maybe it was an Amstrad. Had to download a text file from the mainframe and the auto pen had to be three colors for the check signatures. Bank always complained that the red wasn't as dark as it should be.

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OneOldBear@reddit

My first terminal was an ADM-3. I spent many an hour writing code on that keyboard

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Hour-Designer-4637@reddit

Working at Lumon

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Kitchen_Part_882@reddit

Even better, if you have Linux on your computer (and a serial port or converter), you could use any of these with modern hardware.

With some software tinkering, you may even be able to use OpenSSH to do the same for cmd/PowerShell access on a Windows machine.

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Current_Yellow7722@reddit (OP)

I would love to have one as my main computer. Rip the guts out, replace with pc, see everything in green monochrome (Zenith).

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