[akira2501]

> This is because, back in the bad old days, most computer terminals could only display 25 rows of 80 columns of text on screen at once.

And this is because, back in the super old days, most computers used punched cards. Which had 80 columns.

[thangalin]

> back in the super old days, most computers used punched cards.

Back in the super-super-super old days, looms were "programmed" using paper tape, which eventually influenced the 24-column Hollerith cards for the 1930 census, and ultimately resulted in a horrific application of technology.

https://dave.autonoma.ca/blog/2019/06/06/web-of-knowledge/