dumb terminal

A dumb terminal is basically a monitor and keyboard connected to a server or mainframe. There is no native CPU for processing, all of the work is done at the server/mainframe and the results are displayed on your monitor. The old RS-232 serial port versions are very popular with Ham Radio operators, who use them for Packet Radio.

dumb terminal n.

A terminal that is one step above a glass tty, having a minimally addressable cursor but no on-screen editing or other features normally supported by a smart terminal. Once upon a time, when glass ttys were common and addressable cursors were something special, what is now called a dumb terminal could pass for a smart terminal.

--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.