Method and apparatus for display of windowing application programs on a terminal

A terminal adapted for communicating with a selected one of a plurality of host systems, each of said host systems using a different communications protocol, comprising

• a first personality for providing responses to a first set and a second set of instructions supplied by a first host system in accordance with the communications protocol associated with that first host system,
• at least a second personality for providing responses to a third set and a fourth set of instructions supplied by a second host system in accordance with the communications protocol associated with that second host system,
• at least one of said host systems providing program information,
• processor means responsive to the first and at least the second personalities for processing one of the first and third sets of instructions and for emulating one of the second and fourth sets of instructions and incapable of executing windowing applications locally, to provide to the associated host system responses compatible with the communications protocol associated with that host system, and
• switching means for identifying the host system to which the terminal is currently connected and selecting the appropriate one of the first and at least the second personalities for communications with the Identified host system.