This type of arrangement does have some disadvantages. The central computer performs the computing functions and controls the remote terminals. This type of system relies totally on the central computer. Should the central computer [[crash (computing)|crash]], the entire system will "go down" (i.e. will be unavailable).
Cock!
== History ==
The very first computers did not have separate terminals as such; their primitive input/output devices were built in. However, soon it was found to be extremely useful for multiple people to be able to use a computer at the same time, for reasons of cost - early computers were very expensive, both to produce and maintain, and occupied large amounts of floor space. The idea of centralized computing was born. Early [[text terminal]]s used electro-mechanical [[teletypewriter]]s, but these were replaced by [[cathode ray tube]] displays (as found in 20th century televisions and computers). The text terminal model dominated computing from the 1960s until the rise to dominance of [[home computer]]s and [[personal computer]]s in the 1980s.
