IBM 3270-style terminal displays

E184286

IBM product line block-oriented terminal computer terminal family

IBM 3270-style terminal displays are block-oriented mainframe computer terminals widely used from the 1970s onward for high-speed, reliable interaction with IBM mainframe systems in corporate and institutional environments.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (3)

Label	Occurrences
IBM 3270 family (in many applications)	1
IBM 3270 information display system	1
IBM 3270-style terminal displays canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1635718 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: IBM 3270-style terminal displays
Context triple: [MDA, predecessor, IBM 3270-style terminal displays]

A. Xerox Alto user interface
The Xerox Alto user interface was a pioneering graphical user interface featuring windows, icons, and a desktop metaphor that profoundly shaped the design of modern personal computing environments.
B. Xerox Star system
The Xerox Star system was an early commercial workstation that pioneered the modern graphical user interface with icons, windows, and a desktop metaphor, profoundly influencing later personal computers.
C. Xerox PARC technical reports
Xerox PARC technical reports are a series of influential research documents produced at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center that detail pioneering work in computer science, including early graphical user interfaces, networking, and personal computing.
D. The Computer as a Communication Device
"The Computer as a Communication Device" is a seminal 1968 essay by J.C.R. Licklider that envisioned interactive, networked computing as a medium for human collaboration and communication, foreshadowing the modern internet.
E. Terminal 2D
Terminal 2D is a passenger terminal at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, serving as one of the facilities handling flights and travelers at this major international hub.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: IBM 3270-style terminal displays
Target entity description: IBM 3270-style terminal displays are block-oriented mainframe computer terminals widely used from the 1970s onward for high-speed, reliable interaction with IBM mainframe systems in corporate and institutional environments.

A. Xerox Alto user interface
The Xerox Alto user interface was a pioneering graphical user interface featuring windows, icons, and a desktop metaphor that profoundly shaped the design of modern personal computing environments.
B. Xerox Star system
The Xerox Star system was an early commercial workstation that pioneered the modern graphical user interface with icons, windows, and a desktop metaphor, profoundly influencing later personal computers.
C. Xerox PARC technical reports
Xerox PARC technical reports are a series of influential research documents produced at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center that detail pioneering work in computer science, including early graphical user interfaces, networking, and personal computing.
D. The Computer as a Communication Device
"The Computer as a Communication Device" is a seminal 1968 essay by J.C.R. Licklider that envisioned interactive, networked computing as a medium for human collaboration and communication, foreshadowing the modern internet.
E. Terminal 2D
Terminal 2D is a passenger terminal at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, serving as one of the facilities handling flights and travelers at this major international hub.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (54)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	IBM product line ⓘ block-oriented terminal ⓘ computer terminal family ⓘ
connectsVia	IBM 3174 establishment controller ⓘ IBM 3274 control unit ⓘ coaxial cable ⓘ
contrastWith	DEC VT100 ⓘ linked to: VT100 terminal IBM 2741 terminal ⓘ character-at-a-time terminals ⓘ
designedFor	high-speed data entry ⓘ reliable interaction with mainframe applications ⓘ
developedBy	IBM ⓘ
emulatedBy	PC-based 3270 emulation software ⓘ TN3270 clients over TCP/IP ⓘ
hasModel	IBM 3179-G graphics display ⓘ linked to: IBM 3274 control unit IBM 3277 display station ⓘ linked to: IBM 3274 control unit IBM 3278 display station ⓘ linked to: IBM 3274 control unit IBM 3279 color display station ⓘ linked to: IBM 3274 control unit
influenced	3270 terminal emulators ⓘ TN3270 protocol ⓘ modern mainframe user interfaces ⓘ
interactionModel	block-oriented ⓘ screen-based form submission ⓘ
introducedIn	1971 ⓘ
notableFeature	centralized mainframe processing with thin clients ⓘ high screen update efficiency ⓘ low bandwidth usage ⓘ
protocol	3270 data stream ⓘ
supports	color attributes ⓘ cursor addressing ⓘ extended attributes ⓘ field attribute control ⓘ hidden input fields ⓘ intensified fields ⓘ light pen selection ⓘ programmable function keys ⓘ protected fields ⓘ unprotected fields ⓘ
transmissionMode	buffered block transmission ⓘ full-screen update ⓘ
typicalEnvironment	corporate data centers ⓘ financial institutions ⓘ government agencies ⓘ universities ⓘ
usedFor	airline reservation systems ⓘ banking applications ⓘ insurance policy systems ⓘ large corporate data entry ⓘ online transaction processing ⓘ time-sharing access to mainframes ⓘ
usedWith	IBM System/370 ⓘ IBM System/390 ⓘ IBM mainframe computers ⓘ IBM zSeries ⓘ linked to: IBM System z

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

MDA → predecessor → IBM 3270-style terminal displays ⓘ

IBM 2741 terminal → replacedBy → IBM 3270 family (in many applications) ⓘ

linked to: IBM 3270-style terminal displays

IBM 3274 control unit → partOf → IBM 3270 information display system ⓘ