So you may ask, why random access displays at all? In the case of the DEC Type 30 CRT, there are 1024 x 1024 plotting locations at 8 intensities. A frame buffe

So you may ask, why random access displays at all? In the case of the DEC Type 30 CRT, there are 1024 x 1024 plotting locations at 8 intensities. A frame buffer for this would require 8 Mib of RAM. Core memory access times aside, consider that a block of 4k 18-bit words core memory (72 Kib) was listed in 1963 at USD 30,000 (roughly times 10 in todays money) – and you would need about 114 of them! So this clearly wasn't an option. Vector graphics are nice for smooth, seamless lines, but require additional memory and control circuitry to store and manage the path points to be visited round-robin (adding about another 50% to the hefty price of the display of USD 14,300 – a reasonable home). If you were up to displaying individual data points (as in time series experiments and simulations), the additional luxury of vector hardware was of questionable use and probably quite dispensable. Thus, you would go with point plotting devices.