Another notable feature about those CDC 6600 vector graphics displays was the way that the system would shrink the vector fonts to fit long command lines. Most

Another notable feature about those CDC 6600 vector graphics displays was the way that the system would shrink the vector fonts to fit long command lines. Most of the time the fonts were quite big and could be read from a distance without sitting down in front of the displays, but if you entered a long line the letters would suddenly get smaller so that you could fit more on a line. (These displays were two round side by side displays—perfect for playing lunar lander after hours at the comp center). This was around 1973 and up until that time I had used very few systems that used video displays. Even the time sharing systems I had used up until then were usually hard copy devices that printed on rolls or fan fold paper. Even video terminals were usually line oriented devices and used line editors like sed or teco. I remember teaching a programming class the following year in grad school and spending a lot of time teaching my students to use line editors like sed since it was so much better than the more commonly used punched cards.