TTY
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer
| Stands for | Teletypewriter (Unix terminal) |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
TTY stands for Teletypewriter (Unix terminal), a computer abbreviation.
Name Unix-like systems give to terminal devices, the text interfaces through which users type commands. The tty command prints the current terminal's device file, and Linux offers several virtual consoles, also called TTYs, reached with Ctrl+Alt and a function key.
Example: The desktop froze, so I switched to a TTY with Ctrl+Alt+F3 and restarted the display manager.
Usage notes
The name comes from teletype machines, electromechanical typewriters that served as the first Unix terminals in the early 1970s. Terminal windows today use pseudo-terminals (PTYs). Programs check whether their output goes to a TTY to decide whether to print colors and progress bars. In telecommunications, TTY means a text telephone for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
Related abbreviations
More computer abbreviations
- RTFM – Read the f***ing manual
- RTL – Right-to-left
- RTOS – Real-time operating system
- SFC – System File Checker
- SOHO – Small office/home office
- sudo – Superuser do
- TUI – Text-based user interface
- UAC – User Account Control
- UEFI – Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
- UI – User interface
- UTF-16 – Unicode Transformation Format, 16-bit
- UTF-8 – Unicode Transformation Format, 8-bit