What is the difference betwen an input device and an offline data entry device?

Answer 1

Back in the old days, when mainframe computers ruled and a single disk drive was around the size of a refrigerator, an input device was something used to transfer data to a computer, such as a card reader or a paper tape reader. An offline data entry device was something (usually a specialized mini-computer) like an optical character reader which would create machine readable media (such as magnetic tape) which could be carried to the computer to be processed.

Answer 2

Those are very broad terms. Input device, could be anything that gives input to something. So that could be a keyboard, webcam, it could aso refer to a program inputing something into a file or another program or w/e. Offline data entry device, is a very general term too. Offline, as in not internet related, data entry device, a device that inputs data. So you could say an offline data entry device is an input device too.

Answer 3

C'mon sk, you gotta give even us geniuses a little more perspective if you want a good answer. But generally, I consider input devices as being a keyboard and a mouse, maybe even a webcam.

Offline data entry devices ??????? More perspective please.