View Source: TTY - Waikato Linux Users Group

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An [Acronym] for __T__ele__Ty__pe.

A console; a device that looks like a typewriter. In abstract terms, something with a standard input (stdin(3)), standard output (stdout(3)), and a standard error (stderr(3)). ''AddToMe: this is not very accurate; whoever knows better please correct this.'' There are many different standards for [TTY]s defining keymaps and capabilities and the control sequences these generate and are accessed by, respectively. [VT100] is the most widely followed such standard.

[TTY]s are rarely implemented in hardware these days; typically, their behaviour is provided by a TerminalEmulator. In fact, what looks like a [TTY] is nowadays often a [PTY].

In [Unix]-alike systems, an instance of getty(8) is given initial control of an actual [TTY]. Its purpose harkens back to the days of serial connections; getty(8) is responsible for setting things up so the terminal and the computer can talk to each other. It then displays the familiar login prompt, waiting for a user to identify himself, and passes control on to login(1). On [Linux] systems, some variant of getty(8) (often agetty(8)) is launched for every virtual console configured).

You can change the settings of a terminal using stty(1), allowing you to configure such settings as characters used to delete previous character/word, whether local echo is disabled (for entering passwords), and others more.

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Last edited on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 4:02:27 am by AristotlePagaltzis

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