Skip to main content
TTY

TTY

1 9.0
A simple text screen for typing commands on a Unix or Linux computer
  • noun
  • /ˈtiːˈtiːˈwaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : TTY
  • I ended up breaking the system by trying to switch to cooking (from within the live and chroot), and sparing you the details (I also tried to restore slim as a daemon, but after that the boot was still finishing on a tty prompt, which I wanted only for a temporary solution). After several days of this struggle, I decided to give up and try antiX, which was about to release version M12.

Examples

  • I could not get a tty; it was triggering a kernel panic, with messages related to the GPU driver: mach64.

    Blog text (19)
  • You can connect to the server by entering a command in the tty interface.

  • Now I am back to serial and TTY layers.

    Blog text (9)
  • If you type who, then this, this line here, this TTY or pseudo TTY in this case is is the actual device.

  • In a Unix system, the tty allows users to interact directly with the operating system.

  • To access system logs, you need to check the output from your tty session.

Synonyms

console
vsTTY
  • Specialized
151 6.5

A panel with controls and screens used to operate a machine or computer

focuses on user interaction with the system rather than system control panels
terminal
vsTTY
  • Specialized
57 5.7

A device with a screen and keyboard for using a computer

is a specific interface used mainly in Unix and Linux systems for users
command line
vsTTY
  • Specialized
8 4.8

A place where you type text commands to control a computer

covers the same interaction style but as part of a broader system interface
command line interface
vsTTY
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A way to control a computer by typing text instructions

is a general user interface in Unix and Linux, not only typing commands
remote terminal
vsTTY
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A device that lets you use a computer from far away

is typically the local interaction interface used directly on the system

Surface Forms

TTY singular
TTYs plural

Etymology

TTY comes from the old machine name teletypewriter, where tele- means 'far' and typewriter is a 'machine for typing', so a TTY in computing is like a teletype on the screen — a place to type and read text to control the system.