The implications of window sharing for a virtual terminal protocol

Window sharing permits simultaneous presentation of information on multiple workstations. As a ubiquitous capability, it requires a virtual terminal standard that is in widespread use. Ways in which window sharing can affect the definition of a virtual terminal protocol are considered. Guidelines are offered to suggest how a virtual terminal protocol might best accommodate window sharing. The guidelines address the need to support extra-application communication, such as annotation; the need to encourage application-relative references; the need to avoid autonomous output from the virtual terminal; and the need to maintain the state of the shared windows.<>