Re: lynx-dev screen widths

[Chuck Martin]

On Fri, Apr 16, 1999 at 12:17:18PM -0400, address@hidden wrote:
> 
> no - 80 (132 column terminals weren't common until the early 80's -- around
> the time that punchcards went away)

I don't know about terminals, but I believe 132 column *printers* were
very much the norm in the 70's.  Since terminals were primarily for input,
and input was originally done with punched cards, it was logical to make
the terminals 80 columns, but printers were for output, and there was no
reason to duplicate the width of the punched card.  (Yes, I know that the
terminals were also for output, but that was mostly for the programmer's
benefit--reports and such generally used 132 columns.)

Chuck