IBM, sonic delay lines, and the history of the 80×24 display
Summary
The article analyzes why 80×24 and 80×25 terminal displays became standard, arguing that IBM's market dominance and standardization drove the sizes more than pure technical constraints. It surveys the IBM 2260 with sonic delay lines, the IBM 3270's shift-register storage, and the IBM PC's adoption of 80×25, concluding that market forces and software ecosystems cemented the norms.