Terraforming the "MyCloud Mini" : TTY.
"MyCloud Mini" is a ~$50, dual-core ARM, 256M RAM, 256M Flash, dual SATA box, in various respects similar to the famous PogoPlug.
Use a standard (e.g., CP1202) TTL converter. And you will get:
Stage-1 Bootloader 1 28 10:36:29 CST 2011
Attempting to set PLLA to 750MHz ...
plla_ctrl0 : 0x0000000A
plla_ctrl1 : 0x000F0000
plla_ctrl2 : 0x001D01A0
plla_ctrl3 : 0x00000017
PLLA Set
Setup memory, testing, Image 0
Hdr len: 0x0001AC3C
Hdr CRC: 0xB931AD17
OK
U-Boot 1.1.2 (Oct 28 2011 - 10:44:29)
U-Boot code: 60D00000 -> 60D1AC3C BSS: -> 60D1F2F4
RAM Configuration:
Bank #0: 60000000 256 MB
SRAM Configuration:
64KB at 0x50000000
NAND:256 MiB
*** Warning - bad CRC, using default environment
In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
Setting Linux mem= boot arg value
Reading upgrade flag from NAND address 0x01ec0000 : 0
Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
$
In present time, we find ourselves in a world where physical teletypes and video terminals are practically extinct. Unless you visit a museum or a hardware enthusiast, all the TTYs you're likely to see will be emulated video terminals software simulations of the real thing. But as we shall see, the legacy from the old cast-iron beasts is still lurking beneath the surface.
A terminal standard such as VT100 is simply a collection of rules for how to transmit and format text. It is a file format or transmission format like any other. There is no reason to confine its use to physical terminals.