Editing X Window System (section)

===X terminals===
{{Main|X terminal}}

An ''X terminal'' is a thin client that only runs an X server. This architecture became popular for building inexpensive terminal parks for many users to simultaneously use the same large computer server to execute application programs as clients of each user's X terminal. This use is very much aligned with the original intention of the MIT project.

X terminals explore the network (the local [[broadcast domain]]) using the [[X Display Manager Control Protocol]] to generate a list of available hosts that are allowed as clients. One of the client hosts should run an [[X display manager]].

A limitation of X terminals and most thin clients is that they are not capable of any input or output other than the keyboard, mouse, and display. All relevant data is assumed to exist solely on the remote server, and the X terminal user has no methods available to save or load data from a local [[peripheral]] device.

Dedicated (hardware) X terminals have fallen out of use; a [[Personal computer|PC]] or modern [[thin client]] with an X server typically provides the same functionality at the same, or lower, cost.