be written/overwritten within the buffer. A complete buffer could also be read or replaced using the READ BUFFER command or WRITE command (unformatted or formatted in the case of the 3270). Block-oriented terminals cause less system load on the host and less network traffic than character-oriented terminals. They also appear more responsive to the user, especially over slow connections, since editing within a field is done locally rather than depending on echoing from the host system. Early terminals had limited editing capabilities – 3270 terminals, for example, only could check entries as valid numerics. Subsequent "smart" or "intelligent" terminals incorporated microprocessors and supported more local processing. Programmers of block-oriented terminals often used the technique of storing context information for the transaction in progress on the screen, possibly in a hidden field, rather than depending on a running program to keep track of status. This was the precursor of the HTML technique of storing context in the URL as data to be passed as arguments to a CGI program. Unlike a character-oriented terminal, where typing a character into the last position of the screen usually causes the terminal to scroll down one line, entering data into the last screen position on a block-oriented terminal usually causes the cursor to wrap— move to the start of the first enterable field. Programmers might "protect" the last screen position to prevent inadvertent wrap. Likewise a protected field following an enterable field might lock the keyboard and sound an audible alarm if the operator attempted to enter more data into the field than allowed. Common block oriented terminals Hard-copy IBM 1050 IBM 2740 Remote job entry IBM 2770 IBM 2780 IBM 3770 IBM 3780 Display See also Blit (computer terminal) Data terminal equipment IBM 3101 Micro-Term ERGO-201 Minitel Text user interface TV Typewriter Videotex Virtual console (PC) Communication endpoint End system Node (networking) Terminal capabilities Terminal emulator Visual editor VT05 Notes References External links The Terminals Wiki, an encyclopedia of computer terminals. Text Terminal HOWTO The TTY demystified Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (R&TTE Directive) epocalc list of Computer Terminals User interfaces History of human–computer interaction Operating system technology Block-oriented terminal