computer science

Tera Term

Tera Term is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tera Term rather than just read about it. In short: Tera Term (alternatively TeraTerm) is an open-source, free, software implemented, terminal emulator (communications) program. It emulates different types of computer terminals, from DEC VT100 to DEC VT382.

Key takeaways

Tera Term belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tera Term to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tera Term from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tera Term (alternatively TeraTerm) is an open-source, free, software implemented, terminal emulator (communications) program. It emulates different types of computer terminals, from DEC VT100 to DEC VT382. It supports Telnet, SSH 1 & 2 and serial port connections. It also has a built-in macro scripting language (supporting Oniguruma regular expressions) and other plugins.

History The first versions of Tera Term were created by Takashi Teranishi from Japan. At the time, it was the only freely available terminal emulator to effectively support the Japanese language. Original development of Tera Term stopped in the late 1990s at version 2.3, but other organizations have created variations. In October 2002, Ayera Technologies released TeraTerm Pro 3.1.3 supporting SSH2 and added multiple other features like a built-in web server for API integration with external systems, recurring "keep-alive" commands, and ODBC database support via the TT Macro Scripting Language. Ayera Technologies did not make their source open, but does provide limited technical support. In 2004, Yutaka Hirata, a software designer from Japan, restarted development of the open source version of Tera Term. He added his own implementation of SSH2 and many new features on top of what was part of version 2.3. To avoid confusion with version numbers and to indicate that Tera Term developed by Yutaka was more recent than version 3.1.3 from Ayera Technologies, it was decided to give this branch of Tera Term Professional version numbers starting 4.xx. In January 2005, Boris Maisuradze, together with Yutaka Hirata, started the TeraTerm Support forum where they answered questions from Tera Term users. Posting in this forum was the best way to suggest new features for Tera Term or propose new commands for the Tera Term Macro language. For more than 10 years the forum was hosted on LogMeTT.com website maintained by Boris Maisuradze. Boris also developed several freeware tools that became part of TeraTerm package. Later Boris decided to retire from this project. LogMeTT.com website was shut down and support forums moved to TeraTerm Project site. Since 2007, Tera Term has been maintained by Tera Term Project (Japanese Developer team) as open source software.

Features Tera Term supports:

Serial port connections over UART. TCP/IP (Telnet, SSH1, SSH2) connections. Log replaying. Named pipe connection. IPv6 communication. VT100 emulation and selected VT200/VT300 emulation. Tek4010 emulation. File transfer protocols (Kermit, XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM, B-PLUS and Quick-VAN). Scripts using the "Tera Term Language".

Common versions 1.4 Last version supporting Win16; source available in Pascal 2.3 Last version released by T. Teranishi 3.1.3 Last version released by Ayera. Has issues with scroll window boundaries. Title bar identifies it as version 3.1 5.4.0 Latest GitHub release

Screenshots

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tera Term

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tera Term claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tera Term before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tera Term ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tera Term

In research: Tera Term appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tera Term in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tera Term is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cryptographic software, Free terminal emulators, Software using the BSD license, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tera Term outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tera Term in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tera Term means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tera Term out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tera Term in simple terms?

Why does Tera Term matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tera Term?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tera Term.