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DEC VT100
Historical Terminal
Reference entry — no automated probe data
The terminal that defined terminal emulation. DEC, 1978.
See also: VT100 standard features · vt100.js (headless backend)
Historical Terminal · 1978 · Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
The DEC VT100, released in August 1978, was the first popular terminal to implement the ANSI X3.64 (ECMA-48) escape sequence standard. Running on an Intel 8080 CPU with just 3KB of RAM and 8KB of ROM, it proved that the new standard could be implemented affordably — silencing critics who called it 'beyond the state of the art.'
The VT100's 80×24 display became the universal terminal size (inherited from IBM's 3270, which got it from 80-column punch cards). Its escape sequence grammar — ESC [ for CSI, the parameter syntax, scroll regions (DECSTBM), character sets — defined what 'terminal compatible' means to this day. DEC shipped over 6 million terminals in the VT series.
Every modern terminal emulator is, at its core, a VT100 emulator with extensions. When software claims 'VT100 compatibility,' it's promising support for the specific behaviors this $1,800 box established nearly 50 years ago.
Significance: Defined the escape sequence grammar used by every modern terminal
Analysis2026-03-26
DEC VT100 (1978) was manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Defined the escape sequence grammar used by every modern terminal. This is a historical reference entry — no automated probe data is available for this terminal.