With attention increasingly being directed to downloading the results of computer searches of remote data bases for local reformatting (see LSN vol. 2, no. 4, p. 29-30), more librarians are having to address the question of the difference between a microcomputer and an intelligent terminal.
For all practical intents and purposes, the functional hardware of intelligent terminals and personal computers- CRT, keyboard, microelectronics is exactly the same. The only differences between the two devices are the intelligent terminal's inherent communications capabilities and the absence of local diskette or other secondary storage. By the very nature of its design, an intelligent terminal was made to communicate with a host processor; it cannot stand alone. Conversely, a micro or personal computer is designed for dedicated, standalone processing.
The average price of personal computers and intelligent terminals are approximately the same, between $3,000 and $5,000. More advanced and sophisticated devices in each product class sometimes sell for as much as $10,000. Intelligent terminal vendors are moving upscale, bringing out intelligent terminals that can also run as personal computers.
