09-29-2009
The main distinction between "console" and "terminal" in Linux or most other Unix-like systems is that a "console" uses the whole screen to enter line-oriented commands in text mode, whereas a "terminal" emulates a console within a window (under the X-window environment in most cases). If you're familiar with the old-fashioned Dos OS, it's like the difference between the Dos command line and a "Dos box" under windows.
Here is an explanation of how to use console screens, from about.com:
Ubuntu Desktop Guide - Switch to Console mode
"The usual method of command-line access in Ubuntu is to start a terminal (see the section called "Starting the Terminal" above) , however sometimes it is useful to switch to the real console:
Use the Ctrl-Alt-F1 shortcut keys to switch to the first console.
To switch back to Desktop mode, use the Ctrl-Alt-F7 shortcut keys.
Note: There are six consoles available. Each one is accessible with the shortcut keys Ctrl-Alt-F1 to Ctrl-Alt-F6."
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LEARN ABOUT SUNOS
console
console(7D) Devices console(7D)
NAME
console - STREAMS-based console interface
SYNOPSIS
/dev/console
DESCRIPTION
The file /dev/console refers to the system console device. /dev/console should be used for interactive purposes only. Use of /dev/console
for logging purposes is discouraged; syslog(3C) or msglog(7D) should be used instead.
The identity of this device depends on the EEPROM or NVRAM settings in effect at the most recent system reboot; by default, it is the
``workstation console'' device consisting of the workstation keyboard and frame buffer acting in concert to emulate an ASCII terminal (see
wscons(7D)).
Regardless of the system configuration, the console device provides asynchronous serial driver semantics so that, in conjunction with the
STREAMS line discipline module ldterm(7M), it supports the termio(7I) terminal interface.
SEE ALSO
syslog(3C), termios(3C), ldterm(7M), termio(7I), msglog(7D), wscons(7D)
NOTES
In contrast to pre-SunOS 5.0 releases, it is no longer possible to redirect I/O intended for /dev/console to some other device. Instead,
redirection now applies to the workstation console device using a revised programming interface (see wscons(7D)). Since the system console
is normally configured to be the work station console, the overall effect is largely unchanged from previous releases.
See wscons(7D) for detailed descriptions of control sequence syntax, ANSI control functions, control character functions and escape
sequence functions.
SunOS 5.10 23 Apr 1999 console(7D)