Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible, Sixth Edition

Output

At the other end of the computer, its output, where it needs to communicate to you, the history is much the same as the input side. The first computers used hardcopy printed output to express their answers or displeasure. Even Charles Babbage envisioned printed paper as the basic output for his Analytical Engine. After all, paper has an enduring advantage. You can see your results for as long as you want, and more importantly, you can see your mistakes. When you can hold the evidence of your mistakes in your hand, you can repair your errors more quickly.

But putting all output on paper has a big disadvantage. If you've ever waited for an important job to print, you know the frustration of watching each line slowly appear down the paper. ...